Transitional justice, victimisation and activism; A conversation with Dr Cheryl Lawther

Criminology on the Island of Ireland is, much like the UK, based on a core literary canon, however, often Criminologists emerge from a range of disciplines, experiences and activist positions. Cheryl Lawther speaks about her work at the intersection of politics and law, and the importance of grass roots activism and research and how it influences her teaching. Cheryl’s discusses her work broadly defined as restorative justice, dealing with the past and transitional justice and traces the influence of key theorists who inform her ongoing academic projects; issues of denial,  power, and victimisation. She speaks about the inherent multi-disciplinarity of her work, the international dimensions in terms of post conflict societies and the intersection of victims and perpetrators in truth and reconciliation initiatives. Finally, Cheryl describes the application of her work to a real world setting, how the findings from projects can serve to alleviate some of the issues that exist in post conflict societies, and how academics can and must serve this advocacy purpose.