Technolegal Worlds in an Armed Conflict The forensic making of victims in Colombia

Due to its scientific basis, forensic knowledge is regarded as truth telling and has evidence status in court. However, forensic experts’ knowledge (like any other form of knowledge) is situated and partial. Those who produce it are placed in specific moments in history, inhabit particular geopolitical positions and can account for only the specific context in which they occur. In this chapter, we look at how forensic knowledge practices must be seen and understood as coordinated technolegal practices that sustain particular technolegal worlds in the context of the Colombian armed conflict that enacts specific kinds of victims. That is, we argue that to contribute to richer forms of victim reparation, inclusive memory practices and transparent (transitional) justice processes, forensic knowledge practices can be seen as coordinated practices which help in restoring victims’ identity and personhood. This approach has the potential to contribute to the enactment of richer and wider understandings and nuances of the Colombian armed conflict. The kind of forensic knowledge that we engage with is the one that belongs to and is produced in the framework of the criminal justice system.