The field of transitional justice has faced several challenges in its relatively short life span. The latest of these challenges is the claim for broadening its scope to incorporate social justice- and development-related matters. And in just a few years, the possibility and adequacy of thicker or more holistic conceptions of transitional justice have become mainstream. Nonetheless, since their beginnings these new approaches have been subject to criticism from both within and outside the field. This article describes the trajectory of the scholarly debate on expanding transitional justice to encompass socioeconomic concerns, as well as its main limitations. It starts by exploring the main reasons that led to the historical marginalization of socioeconomic concerns in transitional justice theory and practice. It then considers the rationale for the implementation of broader approaches to transitional justice and closes with a discussion of the main challenges and limitations these proposals face.