“Colonial question” in European collective memory: review of recent studies

Introduction. The “critical turn” in modern humanities and social sciences has led researchers to rethink the contemporary global processes in terms of the inclusion/exclusion of actors in accepted narratives. The “women’s question” and “the voice of the subalterns” represent only a small part of hotly debated topics in academia and in the public sphere. Research on the memory of the traumatic past in European countries is also highly topical due to the fact that when faced with modern challenges, the European Union is trying to “re-assemble” its identity and declare itself as a global player, an actor with unity and certain “common values,” among which is shared memory of the past. Methods and materials. Through comprehensive analysis of recent research on the memory of colonialism in European countries, four countries are compared: France, Great Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Analysis. A group of factors is identified that influence the perception of the past and its representation in urban places, in public discussions, on television, in mass culture, etc. Such factors include, in particular, the presence of a large and organized diaspora from the former colonies, the spread of modern technologies, the activities of veterans’ and former settlers’ associations, the interest of the younger generation in their past, etc.