RT Review
T1 The good, the bad, and the ideal: towards an embrace of complexity in 'victim-centred' transitional justice
JF International journal of transitional justice
VO 19
IS 2
SP 400
OP 408
A1 Murphy, Emma 1965-
A2 Brett, Roderick Leslie
A2 Krystalli, Roxani
A2 Lawther, Cheryl
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1936831163
AB As transitional justice attempts to navigate ongoing shifts away from its image as a tool for liberal statebuilding, it has increasingly turned to ‘victim-centred’ mechanisms and designs. Despite this ‘victims’ turn,’ questions remain about the extent to which supposedly victim-centric approaches actually promote agency and whether they are capable of deconstructing rather than reinforcing hierarchies. This review essay examines three recent books engaging with these and other questions related to victimhood in peacebuilding and transitional justice in the cases of Colombia and Northern Ireland. The essay centres around three core themes: first, the process of delineating the category of victims and the effects of drawing these boundaries; second, hierarchies of victimhood; and third, victim instrumentalisation. All three books respond to these themes to suggest the need for a more nuanced approach to victim-centred transitional justice, one which does not shy away from complexity.
NO Sammelrezension
K1 Rezension
DO 10.1093/ijtj/ijaf014