Abstract
This conference will begin by examining the question of cultural memory as a tool for healing the fragmented and painful memories associated with the history of transatlantic slavery. It will analyze the way in which the representation of the past in the present, and in particular in the urban landscape through statues, continues to divide or enables the construction of healing tools for citizens. Beyond the uses and even abuses of commemorative processes, how does a nation learn to live with a past that is a source of pride for some, and a source of pain for others? Body memory and body politics may provide some answers. Body memory and body politics have always been at the heart of the struggle of Afro-descendant communities. Body memory is also the site of psychological and spiritual regeneration. Understanding how communities of African descent struggle against forms of erasure, while at the same time attempting to overcome trauma, and working towards forms of inter-community reconciliation, can help to consider the question of healing and reparations. This presentation will seek to shed light on the issues surrounding memory, history, forgetting and reparations in Europe.
