Spirits and social reconstruction after mass violence: rethinking transitional justice.
African affairs January 1, 2010 Erin Baines 214 citations
Transitional justice scholarship largely focuses on formal mechanisms like courts and truth commissions, implying that state institutions and law are solely responsible for social healing after violent conflict. This article argues that scholars should also consider informal, socio-cultural processes outside state purview, especially for micro-level social reconstruction. Examining spirit possession and ritual cleansing in northern Uganda, the author illustrates how such practices express injustice and represent ordinary people's attempts at moral renewal and social repair. This approach is particularly revealing in settings where 'intimate enemies'—ordinary people who committed violence against each other—must live together again.