Supervisor(s) : Primary Supervisor: Professor Christine Bell, School of Law Second Supervisor: Carmel Roulston, School of Policy Studies
Title of Project :Toward a Feminist Politics of Transitional Justice
Project Description :
Catherine O'Rourke is pursuing doctoral research on feminist engagement with transitional justice in Northern Ireland, Chile, and Colombia. The research involves legal doctrinal analysis of the mandates and findings of transitional justice initiatives in the three case studies, examining whether and how they address gender-specific harms experienced by women. Further, the research looks at women’s organizations active on violence against women (particularly domestic violence) and reproductive rights in each jurisdiction, for whether and how these organizations have targeted transitional justice mechanisms in order to advance their political claims. Finally, the project draws on the three case studies to explore the potential for nominally ‘past’ focused mechanisms to address ongoing women’s human rights concerns in transitional contexts – human rights concerns not ostensibly-linked to conflict violence or political repression. By devising a legal schema for articulating the links between the forms of violence and harm formally recognized by transitional justice mechanisms, and the harms and violence experienced disproportionately by women that tend to be obscured by state-led efforts to deal with the past, the project proposes how past-focused initiatives might be more creatively used as a vehicle for addressing ongoing human rights concerns of women in transition.
Other Information
Catherine is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast School of Law and the Gender Institute at the London School of Economics. Formerly, she was a research associate at the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, working with Professor Christine Bell on comparative analysis of peace agreements (2004-08), and Adjunct Faculty at American University School of International Service, Washington DC (2007-08). As an advocate, she has worked with the Amnesty International (UK) Stop Violence Against Women campaign, provided guidance to the Northern Ireland women's sector on the Bill of Rights drafting process, and participated in work by the International Center for Transitional Justice (New York) on gender and security sector reform. She publishes in the areas of gender, transitional justice, political participation and peace agreements. She is currently a visiting researcher at the Law School of Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile
If you would like to learn more about how we can help further your studies and career opportunities, please contact us.
Catherine O'Rourke is pursuing doctoral research on feminist engagement with transitional justice in Northern Ireland, Chile, and Colombia. The research involves legal doctrinal analysis of the mandates and findings of transitional justice initiatives in the three case studies, examining whether and how they address gender-specific harms experienced by women. Further, the research looks at women’s organizations active on violence against women (particularly domestic violence) and reproductive rights in each jurisdiction, for whether and how these organizations have targeted transitional justice mechanisms in order to advance their political claims. Finally, the project draws on the three case studies to explore the potential for nominally ‘past’ focused mechanisms to address ongoing women’s human rights concerns in transitional contexts – human rights concerns not ostensibly-linked to conflict violence or political repression. By devising a legal schema for articulating the links between the forms of violence and harm formally recognized by transitional justice mechanisms, and the harms and violence experienced disproportionately by women that tend to be obscured by state-led efforts to deal with the past, the project proposes how past-focused initiatives might be more creatively used as a vehicle for addressing ongoing human rights concerns of women in transition.
Other Information
Catherine is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast School of Law and the Gender Institute at the London School of Economics. Formerly, she was a research associate at the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, working with Professor Christine Bell on comparative analysis of peace agreements (2004-08), and Adjunct Faculty at American University School of International Service, Washington DC (2007-08). As an advocate, she has worked with the Amnesty International (UK) Stop Violence Against Women campaign, provided guidance to the Northern Ireland women's sector on the Bill of Rights drafting process, and participated in work by the International Center for Transitional Justice (New York) on gender and security sector reform. She publishes in the areas of gender, transitional justice, political participation and peace agreements. She is currently a visiting researcher at the Law School of Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile
If you would like to learn more about how we can help further your studies and career opportunities, please contact us.