Critique of transitional justice has become commonplace – but what should it be measured against? Dustin N. Sharp from San Diego (author of Rethinking Transitional Justice for the Twenty-First Century) would not claim to be a radical critic. In a recent article in the International Journal of Transitional Justice, he gives a clear description of the continuum of possible critiques of transitional justice – without questioning the concept per se. He concludes that, while there is no lack of critical scholarship, there needs to be more engagement with the ‘how to implement’.

It is misleading to rely upon a concept that is rooted in legal practices to build peace or achieve reconciliation since peacebuilding and social reconciliation are much wider and much more complex issues than any legal frame could embrace.