Colonial Repercussions. (Post-)Colonial Injustice and Legal Interventions

The evolution of international law is closely intertwined with the colonial history of the European states: exploitation, expropriation and genocides. The guiding principles of the law back then, such as sovereignty and the equality of states, were interpreted in such a way that they could legitimise the colonial crimes.

The first symposium of the “Colonial Repercussions” event series is supposed to be a resonant space for postcolonial criticism of the law. It traces how violence has been rendered invisible and injustice was made effective law. Do these structures persist until today in terms of development policies, financial systems, and asymmetrical trade relations? Do human rights act in the guise of a Trojan horse or do they have emancipatory potential? Why is there neither redress nor payment of reparations for the colonial crimes committed by the European states?

In cooperation with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), curated by Wolfgang Kaleck, General Secretary of the ECCHR.

“Colonial Repercussions” is a joint event series with the Federal Agency for Civic Education/bpb.