Social memory and the impact of commemorative remedies ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Abstract Social memory studies start from the premise that people acquire their memories not only through individual means, but social processes as well. groups often provide materials for memory, and prod individuals into recalling particular events. One of distinctive differences between practice Inter-American Court Human Rights (IACtHR) European (ECtHR) concerns memory-related remedies. While IACtHR quite frequently orders respondent states to commemorate grave violations human rights (including construction monuments), ECtHR has refrained granting such commemorative Some organizations representing victims have called upon additional tribunals embrace IACtHR’s remedial approach address breaches international law. Drawing on scholarship, this study is aimed at empirically assessing impact four sites in Colombia established by order IACtHR. The study’s findings suggest alone cannot shape collective are inconsistent with sociocultural features characterizing local society. On other hand, judicially-ordered meaningful victims’ families small-scale units. These turn our attention micro-level sociological perspectives, particularly symbolic-interactionist law, highlighting vital symbolic role small valuable memorial relatives related communities suggests addressing should consider