Decolonising knowledge on Euro-Mediterranean relations: Past, present and future

The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police officer has ignited unrest and inspired conversations across the globe. It started as a protest against institutional racism in the U.S. and turned into a wider movement of dissent aimed at exposing both the iniquities of the present, and the medium-long term effects of colonialism. All this is of particular relevance also to Euro-Mediterranean relations, as the Mediterranean has been on the interface of European colonial and imperial history in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Several scholars have pointed out that Europe has for long been hesitant to address a number of aspects and implications connected to this history, casting a shadow on Euro-Mediterranean relations. There is a growing quest, particularly among the new generations, to shed a deeper light on this past and its legacy and to decolonise our knowledge, while also addressing Euro-Mediterranean relations in the present. This engagement is still at an early stage, and yet, it is of crucial relevance to put Euro-Mediterranean relations on a more equal footing, while setting the stage for a future towards reconciliation in a space which is ever more conflictual.