Claims to universal norms and the forging of transnational networks: Struggles over the meaning of gender-based and sexual violence in conflicts

Abstract The article analyzes the ways in which claims to universal norms promote, or complicate, collaboration in the context of transnational activism. It emphasizes the potential of a constructivist understanding of universality, i.e. not as something intrinsic to certain norms, but rather as an empirically powerful assumption and a strategic tool. The argumentation is based on two case studies. The first looks at how networks of transnational solidarity were formed and conflicts between activist groups emerged in response to conflict-related sexual violence committed during the Bosnian War. The second example looks at responses to the crimes committed by ISIS in Iraq in 2014 and beyond, demonstrating how shifts within the field of transitional justice, and in particular the emergence of norms centered on the concerns and participation of survivors, have shaped the building of networks around the right to reparation.