German Colonialism and the Criminal Law (CrimCol)
About
German Colonialism and the Criminal Law is a project that aims to come to terms with the colonial past and its continuing legacies within the framework of criminal justice. It provides a platform for „Global North“-„Global South“ scholarly exchange and for research on issues of the colonial history, colonial law, (overcoming) colonial continuities and (responses to) colonial injustice from the perspective of criminal law.
German Colonialism and the Criminal Law addresses legal scholars, but also scholars from humanities and social sciences as well as practitioners with an academic interest. It aims to focus on voices from the „Global South“, in particular, but not exclusively from the former German colonies.
The project includes a symposium, an international conference and publications and wants, more specifically, to create a durable network of scholars from around the world interested in issues of German colonialism and the law. Everyone with pertinent interests is encouraged to get in touch (please register your interest using the form at the right hand side of this page) in order to receive regular updates and share information.
German Colonialism and the Criminal Law is based at the Franz von Liszt Institute at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and it is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.
People
Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Florian Jeßberger
Contact Persons: Merle Iffert and Leon Trampe
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Faculty of Law
Unter den Linden 6
10099 Berlin
Current Events
International Conference “German Colonialism and the Law”, 2 to 4 April 2025, Windhoek
- aim: ascertain the state of research and networking; publication of peer-reviewed papers
- target group: scholars and practitioners with an academic interest from the so-called Global South, in particular former German colonies
- overall theme: German colonialism and the law – focus on criminal law, but open to other areas of the law
- possible fields of research: colonial law and its application; colonial injustice and responses; coloniality and colonial continuities
Symposium „Kolonialrecht und Kolonialunrecht: Rechtliche Aspekte der Aufarbeitung der deutschen Kolonialgeschichte“, 29 and 30 November 2024, Berlin
- aim: stocktaking of research topics, perspectives and needs as well as networking
- target group: scholars and practitioners with an academic interest from Germany
- overall theme: law and its ambivalent role in the (post)colonial context
- panels: German law in the colonial context; international criminal law and colonialism; colonial criminal justice and rehabilitation; colonial traces in German law; decolonisation of legal scholarship and legal education
Core Research Areas
The fields of research focus on the role of law and the impact on law in the German colonial context and include:
- colonial history, colonial law and its application, including (pre-)colonial traditional/customary law, and comparative law perspectives
- coloniality, colonial continuities, including remainders of colonial law in the legal systems of the former colonies, as well as decolonization and decoloniality
- colonial injustice, including mass atrocities, and legal-political responses
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News and new publications.
