The power of uptake: Negative emotions and the (neo)liberal limits of imagination in transitions to justice and peace

To effectively challenge the bland determinism of liberal peace intervention models, scholars and practitioners have called for more courageous creative peacebuilding approaches. In support this agenda, article offers a critical reading transitional justice scholarship to elucidate co-constitutive function between politicization emotions, their attempted socialization, perpetuation rationalities in transitions peace. Mobilizing feminist concept “uptake” it argues that vision its implicit biases toward negative emotions are retained reproduced temporal, institutional, ideological dimensions interventions. With focus on micro-level, can help us observe how they shape emerging emotional environment transitions. It foregrounds dominant visions order assert themselves by providing pragmatic opportunities reasonable courses action people’s grievances—thus stifling potential inform challenging practices conversations. The aims emergence diverse language culture illustrating what sensitivity power uptake entails be mobilized creatively confront limits (neo)liberal