The European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS) is proud to be part of UNTOLD Europe – Uncovering Neglected Truths and Outlining Legacies of Decolonization, an ambitious EU-funded project coordinated by Oxfam Intermón under the CERV European Remembrance Programme. The initiative brings together a dynamic consortium of European partners– including Equinox, Innovato, Aspichi, Qualia, and ECPS – to examine how the legacies of colonialism continue to shape contemporary European societies, policies, and digital environments.
Rethinking Europe through a Decolonial Lens
At its core, UNTOLD Europe seeks to analyse and raise awareness of how Europe’s colonial past continues to influence its present through public policy, dominant narratives, and the digital sphere. The project recognises that colonialism, slavery, and imperialism have left deep marks on global and European histories, entrenching intersecting forms of discrimination that persist in structures of governance, social hierarchies, and cultural representations.
Through this lens, UNTOLD Europe aligns with the European Commission’s priority to foster remembrance, inclusion, and understanding by exploring the relationship between migration, decolonization, and multicultural European societies. It encourages European citizens to engage critically with their shared past, reflect on the historical roots of inequality, and imagine more just and inclusive futures.
The 2RB Model: Recognizing, Retelling, Balancing
The project is structured around a unique Recognizing–Retelling–Balancing (2RB) model, designed to connect historical awareness with present-day transformation:
- Recognizing Colonial Public Policies: Developing tools and spaces to identify the colonial legacies embedded in European public policies and practices, especially in fields such as migration, international cooperation, and development.
- Retelling Narratives of Europe: Promoting decolonial, anti-racist, gendered, and transformative narratives—particularly concerning migration and belonging—to challenge existing stereotypes and foster inclusive public debates.
- Balancing the Digital World: Generating critical insights into how digital technologies and algorithms reproduce racial and gendered inequalities, and how Europe can pursue a more just, equitable, and non-discriminatory digital future.
Across these three dimensions, the consortium will engage diverse groups—activists, scholars, artists, journalists, and young people—to co-create knowledge and drive change through research, artistic practices, and civic dialogue.
Innovative Methodologies and Participatory Approaches
UNTOLD Europe employs participatory and creative methodologies to bridge the gap between academic research and social action. These include action research, theatre and artistic residencies, cine-forums, courageous conversations, virtual reality storytelling, and critical community-building workshops. Such approaches invite participants not only to reflect on Europe’s colonial past but also to collaboratively envision decolonial futures.
These formats are deliberately designed to connect the local with the regional, fostering transnational learning across Spain, Belgium, Greece, Ukraine, and Slovenia. Each country offers distinct historical experiences and contemporary challenges, enriching the project’s comparative and inclusive European perspective.
ECPS’s Role in the Project
As part of the consortium, the European Center for Populism Studies contributes its analytical expertise on populism, migration, and identity politics. ECPS plays a key role in linking decolonial and anti-racist narratives with contemporary populist discourse, exploring how colonial legacies continue to inform political rhetoric and public sentiment around migration and belonging in Europe.
Through its scholarly network, ECPS will facilitate dialogues among academics, policymakers, and civil society actors, and will contribute to several work packages focused on narrative transformation, digital coloniality, and policy reflection. ECPS’s involvement also underscores its commitment to democratic pluralism, human rights, and evidence-based policymaking—values that are central to the UNTOLD Europe mission.
Building Awareness and Lasting Impact
The project aims to reach and benefit more than 180,000 European residents across its participating countries. By engaging artists, activists, scholars, and young citizens, UNTOLD Europe strives to cultivate a more reflective and inclusive European public sphere—one that acknowledges the continent’s complex histories and reimagines its role in a globalized, postcolonial world.
Ultimately, UNTOLD Europe is not only a remembrance project but also a transformative process: it seeks to recognize historical injustices, retell collective stories from new perspectives, and balance the inequalities embedded in our digital and political systems. By combining research, art, and activism, it aspires to build bridges between past and present, memory and policy, and between the ideals and realities of Europe.
The emotional appeal of populism and conspiracy theories: By investigating how emotional responses correlate with susceptibility to disinformation and anti-democratic narratives, the project will develop strategies to mitigate their influence.