Shaping the conflict: The role of judicial and humanitarian forensic knowledge in co-producing collective accounts of violence. A case study of the Colombian (post) conflict

ended

Social and academic inquiry on post-conflict societies has focused on victims and perpetrators with a recent interest in forensic specialists as expert witnesses. Yet the way forensic knowledge about life, death, bodies and evidence impacts on our understanding of conflict and violence has been overlooked. Two reasons for this are that forensic knowledge is: 1) mainly seen as a practice that produces neutral scientific evidence; 2) mostly considered part of the judicial system (helping to solve crime and administering justice), leaving the recent work of humanitarian forensics (identifying victims of war with no intention at judicialising perpetrators) unattended. Through an ethnographic approach to the forensic process of identification I will examine how judicial and humanitarian forensic experts’ differentiated knowledge co-shape accounts of conflict and violence. And in a context of transitional justice, they give format to actions towards victims’ reparation and the administration of justice. I will address these issues through the case study of the ongoing Colombian (post-)conflict. Its multifaceted characteristics and the fact that currently, humanitarian and judicial forensic experts are both, yet separately trying to account for the conflict, provides a rich case, potentially contributing to the study of violence and conflict elsewhere. This project relies on conceptual frameworks from the anthropology of science, social studies of forensics, and transitional justice studies. It combines research tools of these areas with some of critical design. Outcomes include an exhibition showcasing results, a workshop with multiple audiences, and written pieces. This proposal includes the transfer of knowledge to the host institution and my training in advanced techniques and theories in (co)supervision of graduate students, in teaching abilities, and outreach activities. All activities will maximise my future employability as a scholar in the European research area.