Synopse of the Brussels Studies Institute published in Brussels Studies

Joost Vaesen, Serge Jaumain, Iadine Degryse, Dirk Jacobs, Benjamin Wayens

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Summary:

Omnipresent in Brussels, the memorial markers (statues, street names, monuments, commemorations, etc.) reflect the ideological and political values of their time. Their appropriation, which has logically evolved over time, has often led to disputes. Today, these disputes mainly concern the colonialist, racist or sexist representations that these markers convey in the public space.

This synopse presents the main characteristics of the Brussels memorial landscape since 1830 and proposes a typology of intervention strategies in the face of contested markers, following two axes: the place of intervention and the visibility given to the contestation. Based on an analysis of discourse (interviews, working group, seminar) and the press, this typology identifies six strategies ranging from the status quo to the removal of the marker. The analysis of each strategy is illustrated by examples and arguments drawn from the Brussels corpus. The study is aimed both at researchers in memory studies and at political decision-makers faced with the management of a contested marker.