The International Encyclopaedia of Restorative Justice12/E-2-The Justice Africa

What does justice look like in communities where state systems have failed, or never fully arrived? Across Africa, people have long turned to relational, restorative practices to address harm, repair relationships, and rebuild trust, often in ways that differ radically from state-based models. This volume of the International Encyclopaedia of Restprative Justice brings together leading scholars and practitioners to explore how restorative justice is imagined, practiced, and contested across the African continent. You will encounter Indigenous justice mechanisms like gacaca and mato oput, alongside contemporary innovations responding to intercommunal and interpersonal conflict, war crimes, and offending behaviour. Through rich case studies and critical reflection, the chapters challenge Global North assumptions and centre African knowledge systems in global debates. Whether you are a scholar, practitioner, or policymaker, this book offers fresh insights and practical approaches to think differently about justice. It reframes restorative justice not as a technical solution, but as a deeply relational, culturally grounded response to harm rooted in customary justice and histories of resilience and repair in the wake of colonisation.