One important aspect of the complex relations among former colonies and former colonial powers is the difficulty of articulating concrete claims to justice. Factors such as the length of time passed since colonial crimes were perpetrated, for example, stand in the way of reparations claims, opening several questions about justice: who is it owed to and by whom?, how far in time may one look to make a claim to justice?, what sort of wrongdoing can be the object of such claims?, what are the notions of justice available?, and many more. At the same time, justice-centred claims are influenced by, or compete with, two prominent but hard-to-define categories: collective dignity and forgiveness. For example, one may encounter the idea that justice is needed to restore the (collective) dignity of a people, or that, since time has passed and the peaceful coexistence of new generations require beginning relationships anew, forgiveness could temper claims to justice. Throughout the seminar, we will discuss texts that directly and indirectly deal with those questions. Credits: Students can obtain graded or ungraded credit points; for the latter, a Studienleistung (oral exam or term paper) is necessary. |
- Kursleiter/in: Marco Antonio Toche Zevallos