Spirits and social reconstruction after mass violence: rethinking transitional justice.

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.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A vibrant debate in the field of transitional justice concerns the relative ability of global, national, and local mechanisms to promote justice after violent conflict. Discussion largely focuses on more formal mechanisms of justice (courts, tribunals, or truth commissions), implying that state institutions and the law are solely responsible for shaping the process of social healing. This article suggests that scholars should take seriously more informal, socio-cultural processes outside the purview of the state, particularly for how they promote social reconstruction at the micro level. Examining the phenomena of spirit possession and ritual cleansing in northern Uganda, I illustrate how such efforts are expressions of injustice and reflect ordinary people’s attempts to seek moral renewal and social repair. This approach is particularly illustrative in cases where ‘intimate enemies’ exist - that is, settings where ordinary people who engaged in violence against one another must live together again.