More than words : restorative justice concepts in transitional justice settings

Th is article considers the applicability of restorative justice literature in the transitional justice arena. Th e authors argue that while restorative justice is applied to a wide range of conflicts, the established literature is often of limited value within a transitional context. Insuffi cient attention is often paid to the inherent diffi culties in importing theories, concepts and practices designed for the context of ‘settled’ societies into post-conflict environments. Significantly more consideration needs to be given to the practical operation of transitional justice mechanisms, as well as their underlying normative bases, so that they might live up to the claims of many commentators that transitional justice is ‘restorative’.