Colonial Pasts and Contemporary Search for Justice

How can societies ack­nowledge their colonial histories and take concrete responsibility for changing structures that pe­rpetuate colonial systems of injustice? Over 70 participants, in­cluding scholars from various disciplines, as well as artists, activists, and political educators dis­cussed this question during this year’s PRIF Annual Conference at the new in­stitute building in Sachsenhausen. En­titled “Colonial Pasts and Contemporary Search for Justice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Politics of Restitution and Redress for Colonial Violence,” this year’s con­ference was realized in cooperation with the Research Center Transformations of Political Violence (TraCe) and was co-spon­sored by the Leibniz Research Alliance „Value of the Past.“

The question of how co­lonial pasts and their continuities can be effectively addressed and potentially over­come was explored by conference partici­pants in a total of four academic panels, a keynote speech, and a con­cluding roundtable discussion. The discussions covered topics such as demands for re­parations and restitution, environmental justice, recogni­tion of historical and on­going suffering, inclusive memory, and the institutional and political frame­works for enabling related demands. It touched on de­bates from different regions of the world.

After an opening by organizer Sabine Mannitz that introduced the co­ference’s aims and topics, Tanja Bührer (University of Salzburg) began the event with her key­note address, titled “Deli­mitations of Violence in Colonial Contexts.” She traced the history of how European powers reached political and legal agree­ments on how to curb excessive violence within Europe, yet practiced this violence un­scrupulously in colonized regions. Dis­courses that legitimized this behavior, such as the spread of “civilizational progress,” formed a common ba­sis.

The first panel, “Dealing with Colonial Violence of Empire,” was mo­derated by co-organizer Caroline Fehl and featured con­tributions from Asha Herten-Crabb (LSE), Laura Kotzur (FU Berlin), and Tom Bentley (Aberdeen). The pane­lists focused on the colonizing foundations of imperial states and addressed the on­going glorification of the colonial era in Great Britain, among other topics. 

In the sub­sequent panel, moderated by Simone Wisotzki, the panelists directed their attention to the sub­ject of nuclear coloniality. Jana Baldus and Caroline Fehl, Mathilde Kraft (Uni­versity of Hamburg), Rebecca Hogue (University of Toronto), Aigerim Seitenova (founding member of the Qazaq Nuclear Frontline Coalition), and Milla Vaha (University of the South Pacific) discussed nu­clear testing in past and present colonized spaces, artistic and femi­nist approaches, and demands for justice for those affected by radiation and environ­mental destruction in their contributions. At the end of the first day of the conference, Aigerim Seitenova presented her film “JARA: Radioactive Patriarchy: Women of Qazaqstan.” The docu­mentary, which Seitenova screened for the second time at PRIF, highlights the stories of six Kazakh women affected by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk region du­ring the Soviet era and its lasting effects.

The second day of the con­ference commenced with a debate of legal challenges, moderated by Jonatan Kurzwelly: Con­tributions from Sabine Mannitz and Núrel Reitz, Saana Hansen (University of Helsinki), Lina Schneider (Goethe University Frankfurt), and Juliette Vargas Trujillo (CAPAZ) dis­cussed the ambivalence of law as both an instrument of colo­nial oppression and a path towards re­cognition of colonial crimes and possible forms of compensation.

The panel “Restitution Dilemmas,” moderated by Kaya de Wolff (Goethe University Frankfurt), addressed spe­cific conflicts over compensation. Bettina Brockmeyer (JLU Gießen), Festo W. Gabriel (Ruaha Catholic University), Valence Silayo (Tumaini University Dar es Salaam), and Jonatan Kurzwelly examined the ex­tent to which restitution can be understood as part of jus­tice processes beyond the mere return of objects or human re­mains and the conceptual dilemmas associated with return or “repatriation.”

During the final roundtable discussion, “Changing Practices and Ethics of Researching Colonial Pasts and (In)Justice,” Sophia Birchinger, Larissa Fuhrmann, Sait Matty Jaw, Katarzyna Grabska (University of Geneva), Juliana González Villamizar (JLU Gießen), Jephta Uaravaera Nghuherimo (OvaHerero People’s Memorial & Reconstruction Foundation), and Siddhart Tripathi (University of Erfurt) dis­cussed various methodological and ethical issues. Antonia Witt mo­derated the discussion. One focus was the de­mand for collaborative re­search and fairness when dealing with partners in knowledge pro­duction. While there was agreement on rejecting “extractive research,” it also be­came clear that structural barriers exist, creating im­balances that often hinder the de­sired forms of cooperation.

The annual conference con­cluded on Friday afternoon with closing remarks by co-organizers Caroline Fehl and Jana Baldus. A fare­well coffee provided an additional opportunity for in­formal discussions and reflection on the intensive two days.