# Finding the common good in divided societies: The benefits of self-interest in transitional justice interactions

## TL;DR

This paper shows how self-interest can help, rather than hinder, dialogue in post-conflict societies by leading to shared goals of justice.

## Contribution

It introduces a nuanced view of self-interest in transitional justice dialogues using Conversation Analysis and deliberative democracy theories.

## Key findings

- Self-interest in dialogues can shift and evolve during interactions.
- These shifts can lead to a shared vision of justice and a common good orientation.
- The complexity of self-interest in transitional justice is greater than previously understood.

## Abstract

Post-conflict transitional justice aims to nurture constructive dialogue between members of formerly opposed groups. Expressions of self-interest are often deemed antithetical to this because they can be framed as interest pertaining to a single group. We argue that expressions of self-interest can be beneficial to transitional justice dialogues. In sequences of interactions between individuals across group lines, expressions of interest are dynamic and can shift. We analyse how they can shift and how they result in a common good orientation based on a shared vision of justice. We draw on theories of self-interest in deliberative democracy and use Conversation Analysis, a micro-analytic approach to the analysis of turns in conversations, to capture this in transcripts from 12 multi-ethnic focus groups conducted in four former Yugoslav countries. The findings show that expressions of self-interest in transitional justice dialogues are more complex than previously theorised and can aid transitional justice.