Time and Temporality in Knowledge Production in Transitional Justice

A central but understudied element in the knowledge production in transitional justice is the perspective of time and temporality. The terms ‘transitional’ and ‘post-conflict’ have clear temporal referents. The promise of transformation is implicitly built upon a notion of progress, ‘leaving the past behind’ and ‘moving toward democracy’. Transitional justice aims to address wrongdoings of repressive predecessor regimes in order to combat denial and promote justice, accountability and transparency through strengthening the rule of law. Following an implicit teleological temporality, research in transitional justice often takes for granted that a society goes from one stage of violence to another of democracy and peace. However, transitional justice’s teleological dimension has been criticized for not representing the empirical reality of transitional societies, nor the experiences of those directly affected by transitional justice policies. This paper problematizes a straightforward, taken-for-granted notion of time in transitional justice that weakens the knowledge produced in transitional justice. It reflects on the concepts and ideas brought together in the volume Time and Temporality in Transitional and Post-Conflict Societies (Routledge, Forthcoming 2018) edited by the authors. It focuses on three components of analysis: (1) tensions, clashes, and negotiations between different temporalities in the context of transitional justice and victims’ and perpetrators’ experiences of lived time; (2) how these different temporalities produce an unequal distribution of power in post-conflict settings, leading to the socio-temporal marginalisation of some in society and to repercussions for processes of reconciliation, reparations and change; and (3) the effects of social acceleration on transitional and post-conflict societies.