Amnesty: a 'conversation' within the medium of culture. A dialogue approach to the strategy of amnesty in protracted social conflict situations

摘要

In contemporary conflict resolution there are various strategies in place to assist the liberal peace-building project. This article investigates the controversial strategy of amnesty within protracted social conflict situations. It challenges the juridical approach towards the strategy by exploring amnesty as a 'dialogue' or 'conversation' within the medium of cultures. The author will utilise Feller and Ryan's eight multidisciplinary characteristics of 'dialogue' to explore amnesty as a conversation among its participants and wider society. This is supplemented by a case study examining the amnesty process under the Amnesty Act 2000 in the East-Central African nation of Uganda. It concludes with theoretical and policy implications for both scholars and practitioners of conflict resolution.