In this episode of Localization in World Politics, we are joined by Line Engbo Gissel, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Business at Roskilde University in Denmark, to discuss her research on the development and consolidation of a global transitional justice standard. Our conversation explores the standardization of transitional justice, examining how transitional justice guidelines, manuals and toolkits produced and circulated by influential IOs and NGOs have shaped national policymaking. We dissect concepts such as generification and localization, and the role international standards play in contemporary global governance. We also consider ways to balance the advantages of standardization with the need for approaches that more truly reflect local authorship. Professor Gissel challenges scholars and practitioners alike to embrace a more contextualized practice of transitional justice that connects universal principles with the actual needs and priorities of local communities to make it more authentic.
The ISQ article we discuss on “Global Governance by Manual: The Transitional Justice Toolkit and the Standardization of a Field” can be found here.
The EJIR article on “The Standardization of Transitional Justice” which is also discussed can be found here.
Host: Adam Kochanski
Producer: Angelina Rajic
Theme Music: Nesterouk, Courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.
The Localization in World Politics podcast is supported by funding from a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada “Insight Grant,” and is part of the “Norms in Motion” research project. To learn more about the “Norms in Motion” project, please follow @normsinmotion on Bluesky and/or Twitter.
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