ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains that the effect of the institutionalisation of transitional justice at the international level has been to create a 'theatrical space' within which efforts at post-conflict peace-making must play out. It presents a detailed deconstruction of the role of law in transition. The book demonstrates transitional justice scholars and practitioners alike the benefits of critical engagement as a means of evaluating the field. It also presents a highly contextualised engagement with post-structural theory. The book describes example of the 'transition' in Northern Ireland to illustrate some of the theoretical insights that Jacques Derrida's work brings to transitional justice. It suggests that what has emerged is a mainstream of transitional justice that reflected in international law and policy and a margin that consists of critical reflection on the possibility of transitional justice.
