Reparation, restitution, and the politics of memory

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Over the past two decades, the interconnected concepts of reparation, restitution, and commemorative culture have gained momentum in academic, activist, artistic, and political contexts. This development critiques the material and systemic conditions of societies and global relations. In a 2018 report on the restitution of looted cultural artifacts, Bénédicte Savoy and Felwine Sarr discuss these issues through a new ethics of relations. Individual acts of restitution and the accompanying processes of material and immaterial reparation are seen as mediators of the irreparable legacy of colonialism and its ongoing repercussions. This new ethics may extend beyond anthropocentrism, addressing both the destruction of nature in the Anthropocene and the human cost of colonialism, prompting a fundamental questioning of western modernity and our relationship with the world. The volume examines various discourses and practices of reparation, integrating perspectives from cultural studies, memory studies, post- or decolonial studies, and literary studies. Contributions from philosophy, art, and literature further explore the multifaceted nature of reparation, featuring insights from notable scholars and artists.