Transnational Networks and Justice in the Global South

This book contributes new insights into the construction and implementation of global justice across different constituencies in the Global South. In particular, it investigates the impact of NGOs and victims’ representatives on redress mechanisms for mass atrocities and violence, using the scholarly field of transitional justice. By utilising this scholarly lens, the book is able to draw into a wide range of discussions and mechanisms aimed at addressing mass violence and armed conflict in the Global South.  These discussions are in line with the central question of how NGOs impact on the legitimacy of transitional justice processes. The book thus examines the question analytically and empirically, using the theory of legitimacy, as one of the ways in which to explain the power dynamics of global justice and institutions. It offers significant contributions to the existing literature on legitimacy in transitional justice, with country case specific examples of Uganda and Myanmar.

While the book is broadly framed within the scholarly field of transitional justice, it draws on two branches of international law –International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Criminal Law (ICL). It also benefits from scholarship in the field of international relations to explicate the legitimacy and institutional power of NGOs and international courts. These disciplines are converged through the literature review and  analysis.  The book will make a new contribution by adding empirical data on NGO work in transitional justice from two case studies. The thrust of the argument is that NGOs either enhance or reduce the legitimacy of transitional justice mechanisms. The concept of legitimacy will be used to analyse the way in which transitional justice is implemented.