Since the summer of 2020, Belgium has seen a boom in institutional and civil society initiatives related to redress for the ongoing legacies of colonial violence. While some mobilise existing international, regional, and domestic legal frameworks, others do not. This article examines when, why, and how these frameworks are mobilised and how this affects collaborations. Based on an empirical mapping exercise of initiatives, actors, and approaches, the article first underlines the important role of non-institutional actors in advocating for comprehensive redress initiatives. It then uses a Discourse-Historical Analysis to examine the role of formal reparations frameworks in this redress ecosystem. The analysis shows that both civil society and institutional actors reference existing legal frameworks, but to different extents, in different ways, and for different reasons. This hints at the ongoing importance of these legal frameworks, as well as at the importance of better understanding how they are mobilised in practice. The analysis further identifies differences in how civil society and institutional actors reference legal frameworks and the initiatives of other actors. This suggests that institutional initiatives may be less embedded in the broader redress ecosystem. The article concludes with a reflection on opportunities and challenges of the existing legal framework.
Pallí-Asperó et al. (Fri,) studied this question.