The Ethic of Traditional Communities and the Spirit of Healing Justice: Studies from Hollow Water, the Iona Community, and Plum Village

'Well worth the read...none of this is airy-fairy, but rooted wisdom. The kind we need.'
The Church Times
'I want to congratulate Jarem for the way he has written this book. He has freed himself (and his readers!) from the professional jargon that so often characterizes research of this kind... This is not the work of a cheerleader for "justice-as-healing" but the informed reflections of a deeply curious human being who wonders if there might be better ways for all of us to behave towards each other.'
Extract from the Foreword by Rupert Ross, author of Dancing with a Ghost: Exploring Indian Reality, and Returning to the Teachings: Exploring Aboriginal Justice.

What is healing justice? Who practices it? What does it look like?
In this groundbreaking book on healing justice, Jarem Sawatsky examines traditional communities including Hollow Water - an Aboriginal and Métis community in Canada renowned for their holistic healing work in the face of 80 per cent sexual abuse rates; the Iona Community - a dispersed Christian ecumenical community in Scotland known for their work towards peace, healing and social justice, rebuilding of community and the renewal of worship; and Plum Village - a Vietnamese initiated Buddhist community in southern France, and home to Nobel Peace Prize nominated author, Thich Nhat Hanh.

These case studies record a search for the kind of social, structural, and spiritual relationships necessary to sustain a healing view of justice. Through comparing cases, Sawatsky identifies the common patterns, themes, and imagination which these communities share. These commonalities among those that practice healing justice are then examined for their implications for wider society, particularly for restorative justice and criminal justice.

This innovative book is accessible to those new to the topic, while at the same time being beneficial to experienced researchers, and will appeal internationally to practitioners, students, and anyone interested in restorative justice, law, peace building, and religious studies.