Description
An emerging body of literature has identified an agonistic alternative to liberal peacebuilding. Recent scholarship has documented the presence of this agonistic peace, which centres on an embrace of contestation and multiplicity, at the grassroots level in cases such as Lebanon and Israel/Palestine. There are still questions, however, about how agonistic peace takes shape institutionally and at different stages of the peace process. This study examines the institutional presence of agonistic transitional justice in four cases: Colombia, Northern Ireland, Uganda, and Indonesia. Based on archival research and interviews in each of the cases, the paper explores where agonistic transitional justice is more likely to appear (including truth-telling and memorialisation initiatives) and why these areas are more conducive to an agonistic approach. The paper also considers the implications of the emergence of this agonistic alternative for the future of transitional justice and peace praxis.
