In the current context of growing inequalities and global crises, colonial legacies and processes of enslavement have become central to explaining these phenomena and now constitute a key arena of social and political dispute. Structural racism, the invisibilisation and lack of recognition of the history of Africans and their diasporas, socioeconomic gaps, land dispossession, cultural inequality, and the climate crisis all emerge as direct consequences of the systems of domination that sustained —and continue to sustain— contemporary capitalist expansion.
Within this framework, the removal of monuments dedicated to conquerors or major businessmen enriched through enslaved labour, along with processes of decolonisation and the restitution of museum collections —which represent only a small part of the ecological and economic plunder of colonialism— have become some of the most visible expressions of public debate on reparations.
In this fifth edition of the “Repairing the Past” conference, organised by the European Observatory on Memories, the Barcelona City Council, and the Ethnological and World Cultures Museum of Barcelona (MUEC), we will present the forthcoming book ¿Qué hacemos con el pasado colonial? Justicia, reparación y memoria (Edicions Bellaterra), edited by Celeste Muñoz and Oriol López, which gathers many of the debates generated throughout this project.
To further explore these issues, we will bring together several of the book’s authors, who will help us frame contemporary discussions and collectively reflect on the state of reparations across various countries and fields. All this will unfold in a moment marked by the rise of reactionary discourses, with the aim of highlighting current challenges and the main axes of debate.
Admission is free, but prior registration at this link is recommended.
Cover picture: The fallen Christopher Columbus statue outside the Minnesota State Capitol after a group led by American Indian Movement members tore it down in St. Paul, Minnesota», Tony Webster, 10 de junio de 2020, cc-by-2.0.
Agenda
Download the PDF version of the programme (in Catalan)
16:30 – Registration
16:50 – Welcome Session
17:00–19:15 – “What Do We Do with the Colonial Past? Justice, Reparation and Memory”
Moderator and Opening Remarks:
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Oriol López Badell (EUROM)
Speakers:
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Miguel Cardina (Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra)
“We cannot sweep this under the rug”: The debate on colonial legacies and reparations in Portugal -
Celeste Muñoz Martínez (National University of Distance Education – EUROM)
What justice for which empire? Towards a cartography of reparations in Spain -
Cira Pallí-Asperó (Human Rights Centre, Ghent University)
From oblivion to the repair of historical injustices: Belgium’s colonial legacy -
Alba Valenciano Mañé (UAB – (Tr)african(t)s)
European museums under scrutiny: Imperial inheritances and decolonial challenges -
Tania Safura Adam (Archivos Negros)
From Black Spain to Black Archives: Or how to repair the future
Previous editions
- 2024: Colonialism, Ecosocial Crisis, and Historical Justice
- 2023: Repairing the past
- 2022: Museums, collections and education
- 2021: Conflicting Heritage. Museums and Colonial Legacy
Survey
This activity is co-financed by the European Commission and for its evaluation we kindly ask your collaboration in filling out this survey. It will take about 10 minutes, and you will need the information indicated below. Thank you very much!
- Reference of the Project: 101194553
- Type of activity: Mutual Learning
- Title: Repairing the Past 2025