“What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic Evidence

Forensic investigations during truth recovery after atrocity often apply rights-based, socio-cultural approaches to dead and missing bodies. This article suggests focusing on universal “rights”, such as the right to dignity in death and the right to know what happened to family members, can occlude...

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Main Author: Robyn Gill-Leslie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Queensland University of Technology 2025-06-01
Series:International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3902
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author Robyn Gill-Leslie
author_facet Robyn Gill-Leslie
author_sort Robyn Gill-Leslie
collection DOAJ
description Forensic investigations during truth recovery after atrocity often apply rights-based, socio-cultural approaches to dead and missing bodies. This article suggests focusing on universal “rights”, such as the right to dignity in death and the right to know what happened to family members, can occlude forensic understandings stemming from local knowledge systems. Deploying the theoretical gesture of ukwakumkanya through the framing of transcorporeality, this article examines aspects of medico-legal evidence stemming from the Marikana Commission of Inquiry in South Africa—a commission established in the wake of the 2012 Marikana massacre. This article deepens discussion around how forensic information in truth recovery processes reflects not only social contexts, or opportunities to challenge state monopolies on forensic expertise, but also surfaces local understandings of time, space, and place. These offer new temporal, ecological, and relational interpretations of forensic output during truth recovery.
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spelling doaj-art-2fd8b5b0e66c4d57ae4442a7c02c70a22025-08-20T02:21:38ZengQueensland University of TechnologyInternational Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy2202-79982202-80052025-06-011429610610.5204/ijcjsd.39024225“What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic EvidenceRobyn Gill-Leslie0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7501-6328University of OsloForensic investigations during truth recovery after atrocity often apply rights-based, socio-cultural approaches to dead and missing bodies. This article suggests focusing on universal “rights”, such as the right to dignity in death and the right to know what happened to family members, can occlude forensic understandings stemming from local knowledge systems. Deploying the theoretical gesture of ukwakumkanya through the framing of transcorporeality, this article examines aspects of medico-legal evidence stemming from the Marikana Commission of Inquiry in South Africa—a commission established in the wake of the 2012 Marikana massacre. This article deepens discussion around how forensic information in truth recovery processes reflects not only social contexts, or opportunities to challenge state monopolies on forensic expertise, but also surfaces local understandings of time, space, and place. These offer new temporal, ecological, and relational interpretations of forensic output during truth recovery.https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3902truth recoveryforensicstranscorporealismsouth africamarikana
spellingShingle Robyn Gill-Leslie
“What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic Evidence
International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
truth recovery
forensics
transcorporealism
south africa
marikana
title “What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic Evidence
title_full “What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic Evidence
title_fullStr “What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic Evidence
title_full_unstemmed “What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic Evidence
title_short “What Do We Do With all This Dying?” : South African Time, Space, and Place in Forensic Evidence
title_sort what do we do with all this dying south african time space and place in forensic evidence
topic truth recovery
forensics
transcorporealism
south africa
marikana
url https://www.crimejusticejournal.com/article/view/3902
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