Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book draws on scholarly legal treatises and political science authorities in its contribution to the debate on the definition of transitional justice. It focuses on the writings of highly qualified postcolonial theorists who challenge key assumptions in conventional thinking. The book develops the main idea through engaging with context and by way of exposing the complex in discussions of international law and comparative material as they relate to the four areas of the study. It also draws from reports and conference proceedings of credible domestic and international human rights organizations that have closely monitored the Zimbabwean situation. Concluding observations on the Zimbabwean government’s reports to the United Nations’ treaty-monitoring bodies are also taken into account.