Titel

Reparations theory
Auteur Sandew Hira
Datum 21-08-20
Versie 1
Opmerking

Slides
3 Discuss a case study on reparations for perpetrators of historic
injustice
 Describe a case of historic injustice where reparations was
paid by the victim to the perpetrator
 What arguments were used for the payment
 How was the amount for reparations calculated
 How was the payment done
 What is the historical memory organized on these
reparations

Discussion 1. War reparations. When the losers pay to the victor:

 Napoleontic Wars: French had to pay a total of 1,863.5
million francs to Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia.
 World War I: Germany paid US $ 33 billion to the Allied
forces.
World War II
 Germany: US $ 5,277
 Italy: US $ 366 million
 Japan: US $ 1,486 million
2. Reparation paid by Haiti to France for stopping invasion and
re-establish slavery
 1825-1947 (!): 150 million gold francs with 6% interest.
Current value: US $ 21.7 billion
3. Reparations paid to the criminals: abolition of slavery
 UK: 20 million British pounds so-called compensation (the
equivalent of US $ 27.4 billion).
 France, Holland
4. Reparations paid to the criminals: drugsdealers
 British forced China in Opium Wars (1839-1842/1856-
1860) to import drugs and get millions of Chinese
addicted. China had to pay for the costs of the Wars: US$
21 million.
5. Iraq invasion of Kuwait
 US $ 52 billion via UN to 2.7 million claims from
individuals, corporations, governments and international
organizations
6. Indonesia paid reparations to Holland for independence war
 Dutch demanded Nf 6,5 billion (US Marshall aid was US$
1,1 billion)
 Indonesia paid Nf 4 billion between 1950 and 1956
4 What role does the knowledge about reparations for perpetrators
play in the discussion on reparations?
Discussion 1. DTM mechanism of organizing amnesia: fighting amnesia by
bringing out the shame
2. Policy instrument: put the perpetrator on the defensive: pay

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 Titel
back what we were forced to paid to you. The case of Haity.
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Bertrand_Aristide
22 Reparations for victims of historic injustice
 Discuss the case of reparations for the Jewish Holocaust
 Who brought the case to the public
 What arguments were used for the payment
 Who paid the money
 Who got the money
 How was the amount for reparations calculated
 How was the payment done
 What other forms of non-material compensation were
instituted
Discussion Comparison with the discussion on the Herrero case in Namibia
23 Theoretical question: discussion
What role does the discussion about reparations for victims play
in the social struggle?
Discussion  Fighting amnesia
 Celebrating the struggle that comes with oppression
 Bringing the other party to the negotiation table
 Decolonizing the mind: fighting the colonization of the mind
 Linking colonialism in all five dimensions;
o Economic
o Social
o Political
o Cultural
o Geographical
 Means to strengthen mobilization and organization