In what ways is colonial violence intertwined with international institutions? In the new TraCe Working Paper No. 9, “Transforming Understandings, Expanding Mechanisms: International Institutions and Colonial Violence”, Lina Schneiderand Lisbeth Zimmermann explore the relationship between colonial violence and international institutions. To this end, the authors trace the way colonial violence has been addressed throughout the 20th century, from both an international legal and an institutional perspective.
They highlight how the understanding of and approach to colonial violence has changed over time. In particular, they focus on the ambivalent role of international institutions in both legitimizing and containing colonial violence. While this shift has broadened the understanding of colonial violence, the resulting institutions have taken on a less binding form.
Working Paper No. 9 is available as a free download (PDF) in English language.
An earlier version of the working paper can also be found in the recently published TraCe “Handbook on Transformations of Political Violence” by Routledge.