Project description
Looking at Europe’s colonial past for a more enlightened future
Europe's postcolonial legacy continues to reverberate through generations, leaving an indelible mark on the descendants of those involved in the decolonisation processes of former French, Portuguese, and Belgian colonies. The ERC-funded MEMOIRS project aims to unravel the intergenerational memories of these children and grandchildren. Through in-depth interviews and a comparative analysis of cultures shaped by the postmemory of colonial wars and the end of empire, MEMOIRS seeks to reinterrogate Europe's postcolonial heritage. Bringing together specialists from literary and cultural studies, arts, history, sociology, and migration studies, the project will foster a profound understanding of Europe's contemporary identity, rooted in the effects of its post imperial diversity.
Objective
MEMOIRS focuses on the intergenerational memories of the children and grandchildren of those involved in the decolonization processes of colonies held by France, Portugal and Belgium. Through interviews of this second and third generation, and a comparative analysis of the cultures influenced by the postmemory of the colonial wars and the end of empire, Europe's postcolonial heritage will be reinterrogated, and a new understanding of the contemporary continent will be developed. At the heart of the project is a desire to comprehend the effects of Europe's postimperial diversity through postmemories of colonial praxis.
The project is interdisciplinary, bringing together specialists from literary and cultural studies, arts, history, sociology and migration studies. MEMOIRS aims to maximize the impact of its findings through broad web, open-access publications and an itinerant artistic exhibit that captures multiple aspects of the representations of postmemory, and fosters a meaningful North-South dialogue.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantHost institution
3000 995 Coimbra
Portugal