The politics of memory in the EU: reflecting the colonial past

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Abstract

Today, the policy of historical memory is no longer the exclusive prerogative of national states and is being actively developed both at the transnational level and by civil society institutions, regional and local communities. In the European Union, the common memory policy is an integral part of the integration process and provides its legitimization. At the same time, it is important that in an effort to strengthen the European identity historical facts are not distorted and the common past of the EU member states is given an honest assessment. The article examines the problems of reflecting Europe’s colonial past in the EU and the strategies used to deal with it. The EU’s experience of working through this complex period of European history and accepting its negative assessment is undoubtedly useful for other communities.

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About the authors

Natalia V. Varlamova

Institute of State and Law of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: varlam_n@list.ru

PhD in Law, Associate Professor, Leading Researcher, Sector of the Human Rights

Russian Federation, Moscow

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