Chapter 1 argues that while transitional justice has become a globally dominant lens through which to approach states addressing legacies of a violent past the performance and impact of transitional justice mechanisms has been at best ambiguous and at times disappointing. The chapter proposes a new agenda for theory and practice, one that offers a concept of justice that is more ‘transformative’ than ‘transitional.’ The chapter starts by setting out the limitations of transitional justice, and recent responses to these limitations in transitional justice scholarship and practice. A definition of transformative justice draws on this discussion as well as insights from related fields such as peacebuilding and conflict transformation. A final section of the chapter, on tools for transformative justice, provides practical guidance on how to implement a more transformative transitional justice.