Studying Expertise in the Making of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy

Transitional justice (TJ) has become a standard tool in international liberal peacebuilding to address transitions from authoritarianism to democracy, conflict to peace and other transitions. Critical TJ scholarships indicates that scholars believe it to be important to explore who produces knowledge, how it is produced and put to use, i.e. how it is turned into expertise, and what the effects of this are and, in the process, to enquire the nature of expertise and its (re)production in policy processes. Taking the African Union TJ Policy as the empirical case I analyze the expert actors and practices around this policy process. By understanding the knowledge-expertise-policy nexus in TJ, I illuminate who influences policies and how, based on what expertise and to what effect. Drawing on practice theories and science and technology studies, this article brings into dialogue previously disconnected fields. This work ultimately sharpens our understanding of TJ policy and practice as being constituted by the politics of knowledge and expertise. The presentation will focus on the main findings of my PhD research, which will be in its final stages at the time of the conference.