Publication

This paper analyzes transitional justice efforts in Sri Lanka with particular attention to the underlying politics which animates them. It is argued that the case of Sri Lanka provides a stark illustration of the deeply contested nature of transitional justice, in ways which challenge its conceptualization as a common enterprise or "global project". Moreover, contrary to the notion that transitional justice is most aptly characterized as a 'response' to past abuses of power, the example at hand is used to demonstrate the way in which it is also used to consolidate and legitimize new forms of authority.