Reckoning with the past: “historical injustices” by the Global North

Abstract

The panel looks into the initiatives in the global north to reckon with a legacy of violations as a result of colonial rule. Among other issues, papers will explore contexts of settler states where the newcomers appropriated the land and resources of the original peoples displacing and dispossessing them. An initial realization is that the components and tools that the field of transitional justice has developed over the last forty years, offer important lessons on how to confront a legacy of violations committed in colonial times. Even when violations took place many years ago, it is necessary to understand the continuity between those violations and current abuses, such as discrimination, overrepresentation of indigenous people in detention, and social disadvantage. Papers in this panel will analyse some of these topics while suggesting the need to overcome colonial and racist domination via collective action from below.

Title	Details
"Taking Responsibility for the [White] Collective": Implicated Subjects (Bystanders) and Transitional Justice in the United States	View Paper Details
The role of historical commissions on addressing the legacies of the colonial past	View Paper Details
De-Colonising Human Rights by learning from the Global South: A marginalised model of social change that emerged in self-determination struggles of oppressed communities	View Paper Details
Mirroring Truths: How liberal democracies are challenging their foundational narratives	View Paper Details