Social Accountability in War Zones – Confronting Local Realities of Law and Justice

Abstract

This article examines how justice and social order are administered and experienced in poor, politically fragile and conflict-affected environments. Taking notions of legal pluralism and public authority as our starting point, we explore how moral and social worlds are understood in places where 'the law' is not necessarily a discrete institutionalised process. Drawing upon current debates in the field, as well as findings from the six articles in this special issue, we explore how legal pluralism and public authority operate in context; how we might evaluate whether 'justice' is being done'; and the stark dissonances between local realities and the normative assumptions that currently guide international development interventions, particularly around rule-of-law reform and access to justice initiatives. Keywordslegal pluralism -public authority -social accountability -rule of law -access to justice 280 Macdonald and Allen international journal on minority and group rights 22 (2015) 279-308

A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Hashtag #WeAreAllIsraaGhrayeb on Twitter: An Exploration of Honor Killing Crimes in Palestine

“…5). This research drew on intersections of feminist theory and critical theory (Macdonald & Allen, 2015). Feminist theory challenges patriarchal norms privileging men and subordinating women and their concerns (Ferber & Nelson, 2009; Lewis, 2019; Tong, 2001) and empowering and enhancing the lives of women.…”

“An Unqualified Human Good”? On Rule of Law, Globalization, and Imperialism

“…The terminology used is one of acquiescence. Caroline Sage and Michael Woolcock (2013, 6), for example, explain that laws are a social invention and as such “draw their salience and strength from the acquiescence of those using them.” Similarly, Anna Macdonald and Tim Allen (2015, 305) “point out” that laws are “deeply complex social and political interventions, which rely on the ‘acquiescence’ and voluntary compliance of those they are designed to benefit.” This does not at all capture how law was understood in British India, nor does it chime with Thompson's account of England. In these cases, people engaged with formal law because it offered at least the hope of best serving their self-interests.…”

Transitional Justice and Political Economies of Survival in Post‐conflict Northern Uganda

“…Sometimes it may involve a preference for state‐led juridical processes such as the police and formal courts, while at other times, this will be avoided. In a socio‐political landscape marked by legal pluralism and hybrid public authority structures, people move between formal, informal and semi‐formal governance institutions in the search for redress (Macdonald and Allen, ).…”