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Unsettling forensics: Novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative knowledge practices in Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.

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Title: Unsettling forensics: Novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative knowledge practices in Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.
Authors: Kent, Lia (AUTHOR)
Source: Death Studies. 2026, Vol. 50 Issue 3, p359-372. 14p.
Subjects: Forensic sciences, Interviewing, Ethnology research, Participant observation, Mothers, War, Lawyers, Human rights, Research methodology, Practical politics, Public administration, Interment
Geographic Terms: Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka
Abstract: The integration of forensic knowledge and associated practices into a growing number of human rights and humanitarian investigations, as well as transitional justice processes has led some scholars to claim a "forensic turn." This turn is marked by the rise of forensic practices as "necro-governmental" technologies that seek to deliver certainty to the living and to the state so that a new political order can be created, a new future ushered in (Rojas-Perez, 2017, p. 19). Yet is the forensic turn truly globalized? Focusing on the cases of Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka, this article probes how states and citizens in these post-conflict settings are attempting to manage the unsettling indeterminacies of dead and missing bodies largely without recourse to forensic expertise. These cases shed light on the novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative modes of local knowledge production that emerge in settings where there is a relative absence of forensic expertise. They also show how the necro-governmental project of fixing the meanings and identities of the dead (forensic or otherwise) is always ongoing, never fully or finally complete. This is because the unsettling indeterminacies of missing and dead bodies allow those bodies to be drawn into intimate practices of care and mourning and more public political projects that can resist attempts to close off their meanings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Death Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Unsettling forensics: Novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative knowledge practices in Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Forensic+sciences%22">Forensic sciences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interviewing%22">Interviewing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethnology+research%22">Ethnology research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Participant+observation%22">Participant observation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mothers%22">Mothers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22War%22">War</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Lawyers%22">Lawyers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Human+rights%22">Human rights</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+methodology%22">Research methodology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Practical+politics%22">Practical politics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+administration%22">Public administration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interment%22">Interment</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Southeast+Asia%22">Southeast Asia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sri+Lanka%22">Sri Lanka</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The integration of forensic knowledge and associated practices into a growing number of human rights and humanitarian investigations, as well as transitional justice processes has led some scholars to claim a "forensic turn." This turn is marked by the rise of forensic practices as "necro-governmental" technologies that seek to deliver certainty to the living and to the state so that a new political order can be created, a new future ushered in (Rojas-Perez, 2017, p. 19). Yet is the forensic turn truly globalized? Focusing on the cases of Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka, this article probes how states and citizens in these post-conflict settings are attempting to manage the unsettling indeterminacies of dead and missing bodies largely without recourse to forensic expertise. These cases shed light on the novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative modes of local knowledge production that emerge in settings where there is a relative absence of forensic expertise. They also show how the necro-governmental project of fixing the meanings and identities of the dead (forensic or otherwise) is always ongoing, never fully or finally complete. This is because the unsettling indeterminacies of missing and dead bodies allow those bodies to be drawn into intimate practices of care and mourning and more public political projects that can resist attempts to close off their meanings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Death Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/07481187.2024.2424025
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 359
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Forensic sciences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interviewing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ethnology research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Participant observation
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      – SubjectFull: Mothers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: War
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lawyers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Human rights
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Research methodology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Practical politics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public administration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Southeast Asia
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sri Lanka
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Unsettling forensics: Novel forms of necro-governmentality and alternative knowledge practices in Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.
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              Text: 2026
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