Torture and progress, past and promised: problematising torture's evolving interpretation

Abstract That international law progressively recognises and prohibits emergent forms of torture related ill-treatment has become widely accepted in the anti-torture discourse. The premise that torture's techniques contexts change is taken to shape juridical recognition, representation response. Authoritative treaties, such as UN Convention Against Torture , European on Human Rights Inter-American Prevent Punish are therefore deemed ‘living instruments’ – influenced by social scientific channelled through doctrine dynamic interpretation. This article argues, however, these premises not sufficiently empirically grounded and, far from faithfully reflecting changes, invoke critiques around ideological epistemological registers advocates adjudicators. Taking scholarship interpretation state violence which do leave overt physical marks paradigmatic entry points, this problematises conceptualisation contextualisation a critical theoretical lens.