ARC RE - MEMBER

CONCERTED RESEARCH ACTION – RE-MEMBER

The transmission of memories related to stigmatisation

Official and family memories related to collaboration and colonisation in Belgium

Conflictual contexts often lead to contentious memories. Protagonists negotiate for the recognition and acceptance of their interpretation of a disputed past, as well as for its preservation as an official narrative. New generations appropriate this past in light of their own understanding of history and their knowledge of their family’s involvement. 

The interest of our research lies in the intersection between these family narratives and the official management of two controversial episodes in Belgium's national past: the repression of collaboration after the Second World War and the return of Belgian colonists to Belgium in 1960 (after the independence of the Congo).


Repression of collaborators after WII (Source: Cegesoma)

These two cases are particularly emblematic in relation to the crucial question of the coexistence of groups with not only different but also contradictory memories. The current situation in Belgium reflects a question that arises in a large number of States: how to represent a past that continues to divide?

The project has two major objectives. First, it will explore the inescapable tension between public and private practices of remembrance, and between official and underground memories. Second, it will examine the transmission of memories across three generations. This innovative multilayered analysis will be possible thanks to the interdisciplinary dimension of the research team (political sciences, history and psychology).

 

The exodus is massive. Sabena evacuates about 25 000 people between 9 and 28 of July 1960. (Source: Photo News)

The project will determine and articulate the role of three main variables in the construction of these controversial pasts and their consequences for individuals and groups: 

  1.  the degree of stigma (contextual variable) 
  2.  the linguistic community (French speakers vs Dutch speakers)
  3.  the generational dimension (three generations from the same family). 

From a methodological perspective, we will combine three main approaches: discourse analysis of a corpus of official speeches, interviews with families affected by the repression of collaborators or the return of colonists and experimental studies. Each of these methods will be conducted by two researchers from different disciplines working in tandem. 

We are looking for participants!

We are looking for families who would be willing to share their past with us. For that, we need to ensure that

  • a member of your family has been convicted for collaboration OR returned from the Congo in 1960
  • three different generations of your family (in direct lineage) agree to participate

If you would like to have more information, you can contact us at the following address:  projet.remember@uclouvain.be  

Thank you!

Team: Valérie Rosoux (ISPOLE), Olivier Luminet (IPSY), Anne-Sophie Gijs (IACS), Laurence van Ypersele (INCA-IACS), Aline Cordonnier (IPSY), Louise Ballière (IACS)