ERC The Global Sites of International Criminal Justice (JustSites)

The Global Sites of International Criminal Justice (JustSites) is a new research project funded by a Starting Grant (StG-802053) from the European Research Council (ERC). Using a multi-disciplinary approach, the collective research project will look beyond courts to investigate the larger formation of “sites” that collectively structure and give direction to international criminal justice and its battle to end impunity for international crimes.

JustSites studies the constellation of localities in which international criminal justice is produced, received and has impact. Building an innovative scientific vocabulary, the project understands the "justice sites" to be localities in which the political, legal and professional activities that collectively create international criminal justice are developed. The justice sites include locations in which forensic exhumations are carried out, NGO offices in conflict zones, foreign ministries, private law firms, media outlets, academic research centers, and the international criminal courts. These sites are closely related, and all depend on and compete with each other to define the direction of international criminal justice. Together they form a constellation of sites that drives developments in this field of law. It is this constellation that is the research object of JustSites.

With its analysis of the constellation of justice sites, the project moves beyond the conventional focus on courts and their context to investigate instead the balances of authority and power that affect the relations between the justice sites. Contributing the first investigation of the wider constellation of justice sites is not only of significant value as frontier research, but is crucial for understanding the wider societal, legal and political impact of this field of law.

JustSites is very interested in building new collaborations and networks connected to justice sites across the globe and among academics, practitioners and other stakeholders. We are also very happy to host visiting researchers through the iCourts visiting program. In Copenhagen, the core project group will consist of three PhDs and two postdocs and the Principal Investigator (PI). For further information about JustSites, please contact PI, Mikkel Jarle Christensen: mjc@jur.ku.dk.