The results and their key points .
Once this first mapping has been carried out , the detailed results of which can be found in the report published in April 2022 , 4 it is interesting to provide some qualitative perspectives from the research .
In view of the debates that will accompany the analysis of the movements for the reparation of colonialism in Spain over the coming years , it is also necessary to explain what the demands of these movements are . Colonialism reparation includes numerous demands ranging from the symbolic ( removal of statues , memory policies , etc .) to the economic ( economic compensation , development plans , etc .) and the political ( laws or heritage restitution ). This diversity is another sign of the regional particularities of this global movement , as the emphasis on one demand or another varies according to the context . For example , for the Spanish case , six categories were established , with varying results — although they are still in the process of construction and therefore subject to modification .
The first is the scope , because if we directly assess the initiatives that respond to a direct request for reparation or restitution ( excluding hate crimes ), we can identify fifteen actions . Most of them concern the re-signification of public or heritage space or space in the legislative sphere . Of this amount , nine have concluded with the demands being totally or partially satisfied ; six , on the other hand , have not been successful . However , what is really noteworthy in terms of scope are the few initiatives — not so much in comparison with the USA , but with the Netherlands . The second is territorial , especially because of the enormous geographical imbalance in the weight of specific reparation initiatives . However , this reality is modulated or minimised in some categories . In this sense , we see that Catalonia — and more specifically Barcelona — assumes an indisputable leading role
Category
Legislative bills that include colonial and slave-owning historical memory , as well as formal petitions from third countries .
Removal / Request for removal / Resignification of monuments / addition of new monuments / restitution
Renaming of streets , squares and buildings / institutes
Curricular adaptations and implementation of education plans that integrate matters concerning colonialism and racism .
Protest movements , entities and associations promoting visibility and advocating for reparations for Spanish colonialism , slaveowning and racism ( hate crimes ). In addition , movements , entities and associations promoting visibility and advocating for reparations for hate crimes and historical injustices in the present day .
Exhibitions or other cultural awareness-raising initiatives
Number of initiatives
7
9
6
4
2 / 19 / 24 3
19 in terms of the re-signification of public space . In fact , the first institution to make a public apology for the colonial issue was the Catalan Parliament . Likewise , we must also incorporate a chronological perspective into these trends . We place few initiatives before the arrival of the 21 st century , although the impetus clearly came even later , specifically from 2016 onwards . Although it is difficult to clarify the absolute reasons for this increase , we dare to suggest some key explanations from this point of view : on the one hand , the influence of the push for reparations in the USA ; and on the other hand , the rise in reparation initiatives in Africa and the Caribbean , and especially the creation of the CARICOM ( Caribbean ) Reparations Commission in 2013 . The difference between these movements and those of the US is that their narrative orchestration places Europe and its powers at the centre of responsibility , a fact that for our study we must assess at a differential level and connect with the previous considerations that recommend a mapping based on a transnational dialogue . Finally , it is worth mentioning
3
2 protest movements ; 19 organisations or associations ; 27 hate crimes .
4
See : https :// europeanmemories . net / wp-content / uploads / 2022 / 06 / Redress-Network-2022-Spanish-Case . pdf ( written by Celeste Muñoz , Oriol Lopez , Sarai Martín , Marc Riu and Maria Pereira ).
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