ABSTRACT
The chapter argues that as much as it is important to include more diverse voices and experiences of men into TJ processes – and in particular those in subordinated positions – it is also important to queer transitional justice and to queer the below in transitional justice. The chapter discusses the conception of the “local” and “below” in transitional justice, and on “subaltern” perspectives in masculinities studies, to establish connections and differences with queerness as a position and perspective and describes what the process of queering of transitional justice can look like, particularly from the perspective of those below and of queer masculinities. This queering needs to be understood, considering the impact of violence on collectiveness and the different ways in which queer men struggle for collective action and exercise agency. A connection with trans masculinities helps also to call attention to the limits of queerness and studies on masculinities, and to suggest the need of more concentrated analyses of the notion of “transition” in transitional justice. This chapter offers some ideas of how this process of queering TJ can be understood – thereby offering concrete empirical and analytical contributions to what remains an under-developed and largely conceptually driven discussion.
