Folk Paradigms of Justice in Commemoration and Heritage in the Postcolonial Netherlands: A Vignette Study among Opinion Leaders

This study contributes to understanding how commemoration and heritage constitute part of a broader struggle for justice in the postcolonial Netherlands. By means of vignette-based interviews with opinion leaders, we investigated how folk paradigms of justice inform discussions about the role of statues in commemorative practices. Embedded in Nancy Frasers’ tripartite model of justice as redistribution, recognition, and representation, the study shows how opinion leaders of different political persuasion prioritize different conceptions of justice. Our findings indicate that resistance toward societal change coincides with a liberal understanding of justice, which is reflected in a tendency to disparage grievances and claims that relate to recognition and representation. However, critical theoretical conceptions of justice that highlight the importance of recognition and representation have an emancipatory potential, as they can validate the grievances of groups that are socially or economically marginalized.