Political Science

Mainstreaming reparations in African regionalism from the Organisation of African Unity to the African Union

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This paper examines the conditions under which reparations have become a key issue in African regionalism. It argues that African regionalism has historically attempted to make reparations a mainstream issue, but this process has been expedited over the past decade and especially in the last five years with the start of a reparations agenda that is simultaneously liberal, radical, decolonial, and Pan-African. This rapid development benefitted from four main factors: a permissive international environment, leadership champions, CSO advocacy, and receptive institutional reforms. The paper concludes that how the AU’s reparations campaign evolves depends on the stability of these factors. © 2026 The Round Table Ltd.

Publication Title

Round Table

Publication Date

2026

ISSN

0035-8533

DOI

10.1080/00358533.2026.2684545

Keywords

African Union, diaspora, mainstreaming, Organisation of African Unity, Pan-Africanism, reparations

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