Postcolonial Dynamics in European Integration
Summary
European integration has been deeply shaped by the legacies of colonial rule, both within the continent and in its global relationships. Colonial architectures and legal frameworks established patterns of inclusion and exclusion that persist in the European Union’s institutions, policies and spatial configurations. Former colonies and overseas territories continue to occupy ambiguous statuses, contributing to contested notions of European identity and belonging. Migration flows from these territories have transformed demographic landscapes, compelling the EU to negotiate citizenship, social rights and border regimes in ways that reflect older imperial hierarchies. At the same time, normative debates question whether integration reproduces an ‘enlarged particularism’ or can be reimagined through cosmopolitan principles that address global justice. Research also highlights how memory politics and cultural representations reinforce or challenge colonial narratives, giving rise to counter-spaces and decolonial practices within civil society. The study of postcolonial dynamics in European integration thus spans spatial, demographic, normative and representational dimensions, revealing how colonial pasts continue to inform present-day governance, identity formation and interregional relations.
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Technical terms
Postcolonialism: An analytical framework examining cultural, political and economic legacies of colonial rule in both former colonies and colonising powers.
Imperial formation: The process by which political and spatial structures are shaped by colonial histories and power relations.
Peripheralisation: The marginalisation of territories or populations within larger political or economic systems, often along historical lines of domination.
Cosmopolitan justice: A normative position emphasising global distributive fairness and moral obligations beyond state boundaries.
Decolonisation: The dismantling of colonial structures and ideologies, encompassing political independence and ongoing cultural and institutional reforms.
References
- EUrope in focus: imperial formations in the fabric of the European Union. Ethnic and Racial Studies (2021).
- The effectiveness of decolonisation in European population studies. EUROPEAN CHRONICLE (2023).
- L’Union européenne et ses Outre-mer. Debater a Europa (2015).
- Cosmopolitan Europe? Cosmopolitan justice against EU-centredness. Ethics & Global Politics (2017).
- Daydream Continent: Europe as a Space-Time Horizon in Architectural History. Architectural Histories (2018).
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