Cultural competence amidst evidentiary transformations

Why culture still matters

Bibliographic Data

ID17820237
AuthorsNancy Combs (William & Mary, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-04-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOñati Socio-legal Series (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2079-5971 • E-ISSN: 2079-5971
PublisherOnati International Institute for the Sociology of Law (PUBLISHER • ES)
DOI10.35295/osls.iisl.2504
OpenAlexW7155076826
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited65

International criminal trials confront many impediments to accurate fact-finding. Some impediments stem from cultural divergences between witnesses, who often hail from the Global South, and courtroom personnel, many of whom hail from the West. Courtroom personnel developed strategies to address these cultural divergences while legal psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists have also focused on these issues. Indeed, academics and researchers have lately generated a wide body of literature that interrogates, explores, and explains divergences between different cultural groups. This sophisticated research is welcome, and many scholars recommend continued study to further elucidate and to gain greater understanding of the cultural components of witness testimony in ICL trials. At the same time, changes in the evidentiary profile of many mass atrocity trials have made witness testimony less influential and could make cultural understanding concomitantly less significant. This study however recommends continued focus on cultural competence as a means of increasing the accuracy and legitimacy of mass atrocity verdicts

Cultural analysis · Cultural competence · Cultural diversity · Cultural revolution · Legitimacy · Witness · Cambodian History and Society · Forensic and Genetic Research · International Law and Human Rights

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