The gendered dimensions of TJ were at first ignored and remain under-researched. The comparatively few studies that exist on “gender in TJ” focus almost exclusively on women as victims of sexualised violence. This risks reducing women’s experiences of violence and repression to a single dimension, as well as perpetuating gender stereotypes. The proposed paper aims to move the analysis forward by taking a wider view of the gendered impact of TJ. This poses some fundamental questions about TJ: Whose justice for whom? Transition to what? Is TJ a global project transmitting hegemonic values, and how does this impact on local needs and understandings of gender? How far do TJ processes impact on the future shape of gender relations? Do we need a broader conception of TJ that fully incorporates economic, social and cultural rights in order for TJ to contribute to greater gender equality? In short, fully incorporating a gender perspective into the analysis of TJ requires also a more explicit reflection on both the underlying theoretical conceptualisation of TJ as well as an analysis of the gender implications of such alternative conceptualisations. “Bringing gender in” to the study of TJ thus implies laying bare the (usually unarticulated) assumptions about the specifically “transitional” nature of TJ and its role and function.
