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On Wednesday, November 10, 2021, Demos21, a year-long series of lectures, roundtables and workshops organized by 91视频鈥檚听Center听for Critical Democracy Studies (CCDS), hosted its third event of the academic year. Guest speaker Professor Jamila听Mascat听from Utrecht听University听led a discussion on postcolonial justice. The hybrid event, which saw audience members attend both in听person in听CCDS鈥檚听conference hall听in the Quai d鈥橭rsay Learning Commons听and online, formed part of the Contemporary European Democratic Theory section of Demos21, one of three themed sections that make up the convocation.听
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Professor听Mascat听began by introducing the concept of postcolonial justice, arguing that postcolonial studies has more to offer than simply being a site for theoretical exercises in mourning. The idea of听postcoloniality, as understood in this talk, draws on the words of Gayatri Spivak and Huguette Bello,听and听in particular Bello鈥檚 phrase 鈥渨e are not the victims but the children of a crime against humanity,鈥� which asserts the ongoing relationship between colonization and the postcolonial consciousness.听Mascat鈥檚听paper听asks听what it means听to do postcolonial听justice and听responds by locating听postcolonial justice as in conversation with transitional justice听鈥撎齣n particular, reparations projects听鈥撎齛s well as听distributive justice and global justice.听
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In delineating these various manifestations of justice,听Mascat听notes that transitional justice often encapsulates the following: prosecution of the perpetrators; truth-seeking (via fact-finding); reparations (be they听material or听symbolic, individual听or听collective); and reforms as guarantees of nonrecurrence. Postcolonial justice is distinct in听several听ways, including the fact that the victims are听both听remote and located in history. In general,听Mascat听characterizes postcolonial justice as less optimistic than transitional justice,听in that it does not seek reconciliation, but听instead听to听reestablish听the social contract under fairer terms. Postcolonial justice is also听distinct from distributive justice in that it performs听the important function of acknowledging historical harm. With regard to global justice,听Mascat听envisions postcolonial justice as operating in tandem with other forms of justice, particularly听anticapitalist听justice, as understood broadly in the Marx quote 鈥渇rom each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.鈥澨�
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Mascat听expanded on听these ideas听by raising听examples of postcolonial reparations projects, with a particular focus on postcolonial populations in Europe, noting that the UN World Conference Against Racism held in Durban in 2001 was an important moment in the progression of postcolonial justice. She also briefly addressed detractors of reparations projects, noting that听the听feasibility听of such projects听in no way undermines听their听moral urgency. She went on to note the importance of prioritizing collective rather than individual reparations,听so as听not听to reproduce unjust consequences. She closed with a discussion of postcolonial justice as necessarily both critical and reparative.听Following her talk,听Mascat听took questions from the audience;听discussion topics included distinctions between historical crime and historical injustice and reparation in the context of contemporary democratic society.听

You can watch a full recording of Professor听Mascat鈥檚听talk below.听