Justice and security in the intercultural settings - lessons learnt from the eu funded fp7 research project alternative

1. Dr Sanja Ćopić
Victimology Society of Serbia

2.  To present main findings and lessons learnt from the
project ALTERNATIVE in regard central theoretical concepts
that were studied and evaluated in practice: security,
justice, conflict (transformation) and restorative justice.
 Project full name: Developing alternative understandings
of security and justice through restorative justice
approaches in intercultural settings within democratic
societies (project No: 285368)
 Coordinated by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
(Belgium)
 Implemented in the period 2012-2016

3.  Brief overview of the project ALTERNATIVE, its
main aims, objectives and components
 An overview of the action research
implemented in Serbia
 Main conclusions and lessons learnt

4.  Europe is changing its face due to an increasing diversity, including new
phenomena such as the refugee crisis, extremism and terrorism –
framing social conflicts and tensions in cultural terms.
 Diversity and migration has often been portrayed as a threat to security
(in public opinion, media, political discourse).
 How communities can cope with these new challenges?
 The ALTERNATIVE project challenged the link between security discourse
and diversity as well as the shielding mechanisms through which diverse
communities are separated.
 It aimed to develop alternative understandings of justice and security
through the implementation of restorative justice approaches in
intercultural settings in Europe.

5.  The framework of restorative justice was a starting base,
which views crime/conflicts in a relational and social
context.
 The central approach was to actively involve citizens in
communication processes in order to develop effective
and sustainable security solutions.
 The project set out to develop mechanisms to enhance
communication between individuals and groups, in order
to provide Europe with concrete tools to better handle
everyday social conflicts.

6.  Objective 1:To develop a theoretical framework.
 Objective 2: To implement restorative justice approaches
in four security-sensitive areas through action research
and to give scientific input into the further
understanding and development of action research
methodology within the security field.
 Objective 3: Compare diverse settings in order to learn
lessons for Europe, which was rather challenging
 Objective 4: Dissemination in order to have impact

7.  Four rather diverse contexts were identified, different levels of
intercultural conflicts explored and restorative justice approaches were
implemented through action research :
◦ Austria: everyday conflicts between local residents and residents with
migrant background in public/social housing in Vienna (micro-level)
◦ Hungary: conflicts in a small town with Roma and non-Roma
inhabitants (meso-level);
◦ Serbia: conflicts between different ethnic groups within three
multiethnic and multicultural regions: conflicts between Serbs,
Albanians, Bosniaks/Muslims and Croats (micro, meso and
macro/level);
◦ Northern Ireland: civil conflicts at three sites: conflicts between a local
community and gangs of youths; between long term residents and
recent immigrants; and inter-community sectarian conflict
(meso/macro-level)

8. 1. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven),
Belgium
2. Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Norway
3. European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ),
Belgium
4. Institute for the Sociology of Law and Criminology
(IRKS), Austria
5. Foresee Research Group (Foresee), Hungary
6. Victimology Society of Serbia (VDS), Serbia
7. University of Ulster (UU), UK

10.  The aim was to identify, propose and implement a restorative
model of conflict transformation in multiethnic contexts.
 The VDS research team intended:
◦ To look for the potential that exists in Serbia for using
alternative restorative approaches;
◦ To arrive at ideas of how to involve citizens from multiethnic
communities, particularly victims, in democratic processes for
peace-building and conflict transformation;
◦ To stimulate cooperation of citizens and state institutions at the
local level in order to develop long-term human and civil
security, and justice solutions for multiethnic communities,
based on restorative justice principles.

11.  Theoretical research, i.e. literature review and qualitative
research of civil society’s and state’s dealing with interethnic and
related political and intercultural conflicts in Serbia in the period
1990-2012 (2012)
 Empirical research study on interethnic relations, existing
conflicts and ways of dealing with them by individuals in three
multiethnic communities in Serbia (2013)
 Action research in three multi-ethnic communities in Serbia, with
testing of applicability of suitable RJ approaches (2014-2015)
◦ Participatory seminars titled From the conflict toward the
peaceful life in the community
◦ Developing and drafting the Manual on the best practices of
application of restorative approaches in intercultural settings

12.  Security of citizens requires dealing both with past and present
interethnic and other related conflicts.
 The security discourse prevailed and state institutions focused
primarily on judicial mechanisms to deal with those conflicts.
 There is a permanent increase of repression in the name of
protecting victims and citizens in general.
 Victims are not actively involved in conflict transformation.
 Inefficient and mostly counterproductive use of retributive justice
and security discourse in Serbia impacts on citizens’ feelings of
security and has particularly negative consequences on victims from
ethnic minorities.
 Restorative justice discourse and restorative practices are not visible,
used and recognized enough in dealing with past and present
interethnic and other related conflicts in Serbia.

13.  The aim:
◦ To find out how people from multiethnic communities in
Serbia deal with interethnic conflicts in their everyday life;
◦ To identify problems and positive experiences in solving
interethnic and other related conflicts;
◦ To analyse how victims are treated, how the security is
perceived by the citizens and what is the place of restorative
approaches in dealing with conflicts and security.
 Qualitative and a quantitative part
 Three research sites: Bac/Backa Palanka (Vojvodina), Medvedja
(South Serbia), and Prijepolje (South-West Serbia)
◦ The location of the research sites (border regions)
◦ Multiethnic communities
◦ Proportion of Serbs and members of other ethnic groups
 Action character

14.  The aim:
◦ To test the applicability of the ‘Third way’ model in
multi-ethnic communities in Serbia, more directly
affected by the wars in the former Yugoslavia, and
to further up-grade it, both theoretically and
practically.
◦ To come to the ideas about possible future steps,
and to develop a tool (practical guide/Manual) for
application of restorative approaches in
intercultural settings in Serbia.

15.  Allport’s intergroup contact hypothesis (Allport, 1954) and
 Its revisions (Amir, 1998; Pettigrew 1998; Janoff-Bulman and
Werther 2008) and further elaborations in relation to the use of
constructive communication for overcoming divisions and for
reaching reconciliation in post-conflict societies (Lederach 1997;
Bloomfield 2003; Forbes 2004; Justad 2006; Nikolic-Ristanovic
2015, forthcoming)
 Restorative and transformative justice literature, including those
on restorative dialogue, restorative practices/approaches
(primarily circles) and the so far experiences of using yoga as
the part of restorative justice and reconciliation programs
 The ‘Third way’ model of dealing with past and present conflicts
in Serbia

16.  Setting the laboratory/experiment conditions for optimal contact
and communication between members of different groups as
participants of the seminars:
◦ Taking care that most of conditions for optimal contact are
met
◦ Setting the communication framework with elements of
mindfulness
◦ Using different relaxation and empowering techniques,
including yoga breathing techniques and meditation as the
generators of inner peace and positive personal and
intergroup change
 We explored how seminar participants communicate/change
their communication patterns about difficult topics, including
their own conflicts/victimisations and related needs, when
conditions are controlled and the space is created for them to
feel safe and relaxed.

17.  Understanding complexity (of conflicts, justice and
security)
 Acting within a context (societal ecology is crucial)
 Notions of security: security is often considered as
broader than personal safety
 Justice can be built bottom-up through the
involvement of citizens (democratic, intercultural,
restorative, dialogue)
 Importance and relevance of restorative justice
approaches, based on encounters and dialogue
 Action research as scientific tool