Call for papers: Gender impact of post-conflict reparations: historical, philosophical and legal perspectives. Turin, 6 May 2025

Call for papers

Over the last decades the gender impact of armed conflicts has gained more and more attention in the international fora. It is well known that both international and non-international armed conflicts disproportionately affect women and girls, who often suffer the consequences of armed conflicts due to the role traditionally associated to them. Still, stereotyped traditional gender-roles concerns men as well. This is especially true in armed conflicts, where men are typically associated to ‘combatants’ or ‘fighters’, underestimating their possible vulnerability during the conduct of hostilities and the peace-building processes. An explanatory example is represented by gender-based crimes, a common feature in contemporary armed conflicts. These crimes, commonly used as a tactic or strategy of war, affect in different ways both men and women, producing long-term consequences for individuals and societies. 

The concept of ‘gender’, in a broader understanding, must be considered in the active phases of armed conflicts, as well as in the post-conflict and in the reconstruction phases. 

The cornerstone of the international awareness on the importance of a gender-perspective in conflict and post-conflict contexts is represented by the 1325 UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security. In this ground-breaking resolution, the focus moved from the role of women as ‘victims’ to ‘active actors’, recognising their role as combatants, activists, humanitarian workers, as well as actors of change in the reconstruction phases. This shift urges to adopt a gender perspective in the decision-making, in the reconstruction, as well as in the conflict resolution processes. 

One of the most important aspects of the reconstruction process at the end of an armed conflicts is represented by reparations. 

From a philosophical perspective, several theoretical bases justify reparations, where the most common are justice, recognition, and reconciliation. Justice traditionally considered in both its corrective and distributive declination, whilst recently it has been increasingly expressed in terms of transformative justice. Instead, recognition refers mainly to the moral sphere and its expressive meaning of moral (and ethical) acknowledgement. While reconciliation highlights relational aspects between the main war-actors: Victims, States, society, and responsible actors. Nevertheless, these traditional theoretical approaches may be criticised on the bases of its normative feature, which can be considered excessively utopian or conceptual for their beneficial application. 

Historically, reparations have been practiced for thousands of years across various cultures and societies to negotiate peace and settle grievances. Over time, the understanding and use of reparations have evolved significantly. In the 20th century, the intellectual concept of the duty to repair appears continuous, but the practical implementation of reparations has varied. Each period’s approach to reparations was influenced more by contemporary financial governance tools than by previous practices. Consequently, reparations settlements after each major conflict were shaped by the financial mechanisms available at the time, rather than by a direct evolution of reparations principles. 

In particular, after World War II, shifting dynamics became apparent. Initially characterized by victor’s justice, reparations evolved towards mediated peace settlements between states, and finally, became part of efforts by the wrongdoer state to address past wrongs against victim groups and injured states. Nowadays, the right to reparation is well established under the normative framework of international law. From a State-centric approach to a more individual-centric one, the role of reparations has followed the increasing importance of the individual as a rights-holder under international law. 

While the gender impact of conflicts and the meaning of reparations have been already considered under many scientific perspectives, the analysis of the gender impact of reparations appears to be still embryonal and deserve to be improved. Indeed, the Conference aims at collecting scholars with different backgrounds and research interests to discuss on this issue in order to assure a critical and interdisciplinary approach. 

Abstracts (max 600 words) should be sent to: genderimpact.pcr@gmail.com by 15 February 2025 

The selection will be completed by 01 March 2025. 

Designated authors will be required to submit a draft of the paper by 20 April 2025. 

The Conference will be held on 6 May 2025 in Turin.

Scientific Committee
Prof. Ida Ferrero
Prof. Simona Novaretti
Prof. Tullia Penna
Prof. Ludovica Poli
Prof. Antonio Vercellone
Coordinators: Prof. Mia Callegari e Prof. Mia Caielli

The conference is organized by the Department of Law of the University of Turin, within HUB2 Gender and Sustainability, and under the patronage of CIRSDe.

More info on the Call for papers attached.