On November 12, 2024, UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels, in collaboration with the Brussels Studies Institute, hosted a seminar titled “Debating the Symbols of a Contested Past in Public Space”. The event featured presentations by Joost Vaesen (BRIO, VUB), Serge Jaumain (MMC, ULB), and Iadine Degryse (BSI), with a discussion led by Laura Nsengiyumva (KASK, Hogeschool Gent) and moderated by Tatiana Debroux (Brussels Studies). The seminar examined Brussels’ memorial landscape since 1830, focusing on contested symbols such as statues and street names. The speakers presented a typology of six intervention strategies for addressing these markers, ranging from maintaining the status quo to their removal. The discussion aimed to provide insights for policymakers, activists, and the public on managing contested memorials in an inclusive and democratic manner. Brussels, 12 November, 2024.
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