CSSR Lunchtime Seminar: Prof. Tim Murithi
The Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town invites you to join us for a seminar on 23 August 2022. Prof. Tim Murithi (UCT IDCPPA/IJR) is to preset on his new co-edited book on Elections, Violence and Transitional Justice in Africa.
Elections in Africa are competitive in nature and can be manipulated by incumbents to extend and entrench their rule through changes to constitutions, intimidation of opponents, excess use of police force and, in some cases, assassinations of dissident voices. Ethnic cleavages are also exploited by contestants to incite and mobilize unsuspecting masses to pursue their electoral ambitions which can lead to political instability. In many African countries, violence before, during and after elections has become a regrettable norm rather than the exception. The function of transitional justice is to address the legacy of human rights atrocities, political violence and societal harm resulting from prior misrule or violent conflicts, with a view to establishing fair, democratic and inclusive societies. This book interrogates the potential intersection between transitional justice and electoral processes. The imperative to address historical injustices perpetrated by violence, conflict and entrenched by socio-political impunity, can initiate preventive measures against electoral violence through redress, accountability and institutional reforms. The contributors to this timely volume have engaged with country case studies from across Africa, in interrogating the nexus between elections, violence and transitional justice in Africa.
Professor Tim Murithi, Research Associate, UCT Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa;Extraordinary Professor, Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa, Faculty of Military Science, University of Stellenbosch, Extraordinary Professor of African Studies, Centre for African Studies, University of Free State; Head, Peacebuilding Interventions Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, previously Claude Ake Visiting Professor, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden. Author and editor of 12 books including: The African Union: Pan-Africanism, Peacebuilding and Development (Ashgate); The Ethics of Peacebuilding (Edinburgh University Press); Judicial Imperialism: The Politicisation of International Criminal Tribunals (Jacana); editor Routledge Handbook of Africa’s International Relations (Routledge).
Seminar details
Date: Tuesday 23 August 2022
Time: 12:45 pm-2pm SAST
Location: Centre for Social Science Research Seminar Room, 4.29
