Submission on Memorialisation and Reparations by Research Team on Colonialism andTransitional Justice
Author: Research team at the Queens University Belfast, and Research team at Ulster University Northern Ireland
The adoption of Transitional Justice (TJ) measures reflecting the long-term structural and individual effects of colonialism has been limited. Specifically, a lack of formal recognition of the ways in which colonial law, practice, institutions and patterns in the exercise of power have sustained and embedded present-day harms means there is a missing ‘hook’ for TJ measures to adhere to. TJ tends to take a short-term view and therefore lacks a grounded approach to redress colonial harms in the distant past. This lack of engagement is found in two broad outworkings: First, where the Independent state has sought to distance itself from its colonial rulers and maintain a generalised silence over the permanence of colonial legacies. Such is the case of Colombia, where colonialism was given a cursory mention in the Havana Peace Accord (2016). Second, complex scenarios where there is denial/disagreement over the status of colonial rule and consequently colonialism is a disputed frame for claim making. Such is the case of Ireland, and President Higgins has recently referred to “feigned amnesia” over British imperialism.
Related Research
Addressing Post-Colonial Legacies in Transitional Justice
The Potentialities and Politics of Transformation
Political Economy of Reconciliation
