Paul Gready Knihy

Focusing on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa, this book examines the complexities of political transition and the concept of transitional justice. It delves into the implications of the TRC's findings and processes, offering insights into how these lessons apply to other contexts beyond South Africa. By analyzing the aftermath of the TRC, the work highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by societies grappling with their pasts and seeking justice and reconciliation.

The book explores personal narratives that illuminate the realities of apartheid, highlighting experiences of imprisonment, exile, and homecoming. Through interconnected life stories, it examines the transition from oppression to democracy, showcasing how these encounters contributed to the dismantling of apartheid. By presenting writing as a form of resistance, it reveals the profound impact of individual experiences on the broader struggle for justice and freedom.

"Fighting for Human Rights" explores activism as a vital avenue for addressing human rights issues in a disillusioned political landscape. It examines successful campaigns against debt, landmines, and the establishment of the International Criminal Court, while also highlighting emerging movements focused on HIV/AIDS, environmental justice, and blood diamonds.

The recognition that the persistence of poverty is closely linked to the denial of human rights has propelled rights-based approaches into the policy and practice of many development NGOs, UN bodies and aid agencies. This book presents the practical experiences of development practitioners who have tried to apply a rights-based approach in their work. Its aim is to increase understanding of the approach by drawing on bottom-up insights, and to identify what difference a rights-based approach makes in practice. What is the 'value added' of a rights-based approach? What difficulties and tensions arise? The case-studies span development, humanitarian relief and conflict resolution. The book concludes that there is potential not only for human rights to reinvent development, but for development to reinvent human rights.