What Truth? How Civil Society Organisations Shape the Knowledge Production of Truth Commissions

Abstract

This article examines how civil society organisations are able to shape the politics of knowledge production of truth commissions (TCs). The article argues that their capacity varies according to the ongoing power dynamics resulting from local, national and international factors that shape the establishment of a TC. The interactions of these factors are studied through an analytical framework that assesses three dimensions, namely: the standardisation and diffusion of global transitional justice (TJ) norms; the footprint of these norms in the design of TCs at the national level; and the negotiation of the mandate of a TC with civil society actors.