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State Redress and Memory Politics

Arvidsson, Malin LU and Andersen, Astrid Nonbo (2025) p.125-150
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of how claims for state redress have been articulated by memory activists and handled by representatives of the Nordic states from the 1990s to the 2020s. The main types of historical injustices under scrutiny in these processes of “politics of regret” are enslavement and overseas colonialism, abuse in care settings, and forced assimilation of the Sámi and national minorities. The study shows that calls for public apologies, economic compensation, and truth and reconciliation commissions are rarely immediately successful. Over time, however, commemorative activities raising awareness of the rights violations in question as well as public pressure from victims/descendants of victims can result in state... (More)
This chapter provides an overview of how claims for state redress have been articulated by memory activists and handled by representatives of the Nordic states from the 1990s to the 2020s. The main types of historical injustices under scrutiny in these processes of “politics of regret” are enslavement and overseas colonialism, abuse in care settings, and forced assimilation of the Sámi and national minorities. The study shows that calls for public apologies, economic compensation, and truth and reconciliation commissions are rarely immediately successful. Over time, however, commemorative activities raising awareness of the rights violations in question as well as public pressure from victims/descendants of victims can result in state apologies, redress schemes, and other forms of reparations. The campaigns analyzed here have been carried out at multiple scales and in relation to several different regions of memory, and comparisons with neighboring countries were often used rhetorically in the political debate. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Memory Studies in the Nordic Countries : A Handbook - A Handbook
editor
Gudmundsdóttir, Gunnthórunn and Savolainen, Ulla
pages
125 - 150
publisher
Brill
ISBN
978-90-04-73628-3
978-90-04-53275-5
DOI
10.1163/9789004736283_007
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6abba3d5-b230-493e-a772-f0daa1528744
date added to LUP
2025-10-13 09:53:03
date last changed
2025-10-29 14:54:45
@inbook{6abba3d5-b230-493e-a772-f0daa1528744,
  abstract     = {{This chapter provides an overview of how claims for state redress have been articulated by memory activists and handled by representatives of the Nordic states from the 1990s to the 2020s. The main types of historical injustices under scrutiny in these processes of “politics of regret” are enslavement and overseas colonialism, abuse in care settings, and forced assimilation of the Sámi and national minorities. The study shows that calls for public apologies, economic compensation, and truth and reconciliation commissions are rarely immediately successful. Over time, however, commemorative activities raising awareness of the rights violations in question as well as public pressure from victims/descendants of victims can result in state apologies, redress schemes, and other forms of reparations. The campaigns analyzed here have been carried out at multiple scales and in relation to several different regions of memory, and comparisons with neighboring countries were often used rhetorically in the political debate.}},
  author       = {{Arvidsson, Malin and Andersen, Astrid Nonbo}},
  booktitle    = {{Memory Studies in the Nordic Countries : A Handbook}},
  editor       = {{Gudmundsdóttir, Gunnthórunn and Savolainen, Ulla}},
  isbn         = {{978-90-04-73628-3}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{125--150}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  title        = {{State Redress and Memory Politics}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004736283_007}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/9789004736283_007}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}