Discussions and the number of specific cases surrounding decolonizing transitional justice have increased over the last few decades.
Not only do we witness a rise of colonial redress and reparations movements on domestic, regional, and transnational levels. There is also a diversification of the political issues that have been tied to colonial violence and its persisting effects.
Given that many of these issues can be translated into struggles for rights, i.e. inter alia the recognition of being equally entitled to basic participation rights and/or to being valued in terms of human history, justice is often the concept through which demands are being brought to the fore.
Related claims for redressing colonial violence therefore, very often, comprise a whole set of what needs repair, recognition or restitution whereas the possibilities of the legal ways to get there remain limited.
Among the issues that are justifiably made prominent are the access to livelihood resources, questions of sustainable land or water use rights, truth-seeking about the extent and consequences of (post-)colonial violence, recognition of the historical and ongoing suffering of individuals and communities affected by colonial violence, the fair distribution of opportunities, equal political representation, the recognition of marginalized groups in the grand narratives of imagined communities in settler states – to name just a few.
The second day has a panel on Restitution Dilemmas
Registration until 10 September 2025
