Re-Envisioning Transitional Justice: An Agonistic Feminist Alternative to Neoliberal Approaches

Spurred by the advent of UNSCR 1325, transitional justice practitioners have begun to recognise the importance of including women at every stage of the peacebuilding process. Like other aspects of transitional justice, however, the realisation of this inclusion has historically followed a liberal vision and trajectory. The liberal vision of working towards unity and restoring the status quo antebellum in post-conflict societies can, this paper argues, often be more detrimental than beneficial in the context of gender norms and roles. One alternative to this paradigm is an agonistic vision of reconciliation, in which transitional justice mechanisms aim for a transformative embrace of contestation and division over a liberal emphasis on ‘coming together.’ Using data from Colombia and Marawi, this paper explores the liberatory potential of an agonistic approach to transitional justice. This agonistic approach encourages multiple and contesting narratives of women in conflict, thereby bypassing the current trend of a single reductive narrative of women as victims of sexual violence. By recognising the varied roles women have played in conflict, both as perpetrators and survivors, an agonistic approach to transitional justice offers the potential to transform rather than reinforce gender norms. The paper draws on archival and original interview data to explore the roles women have played in both Colombia and the Philippines during conflict, as well as the ways in which these narratives have been fostered or suppressed. Finally, this paper considers the implications for the future of transitional justice in an agonistic context, in which the focus shifts from ‘stability’ and continuation to liberation.