On October 2, Mayleen Schack (Leuphana University) will be the speaker at the SPARC Research Group Seminar on the topic Between Legacies and Justice: The Role of Lusotropicalism in Shaping Support for Reparations through Historical Blame and In-Group Glorification. The event will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Room 1 at ICS-ULisboa and online (Microsoft Teams).

Debates on reparations for colonialism often overlook how national myths shape public opinion. This  dissertation investigates how Luso-tropicalism—the myth of a benevolent Portuguese colonialism—affects support for different reparative policies. Through an experiment with 267 Portuguese participants, this research found that Luso-tropicalism is a powerful  predictor of opposition to reparations, a relationship explained by its tendency to neutralize feelings of historical blame. Notably, the study uncovers a paradoxical effect: for those who strongly endorse the myth, high national pride (in-group glorification)  is linked to greater  support for reparations. This suggests that the ideology allows for a paternalistic co-optation of reparations, reframing them not as an act of justice, but as a performance of national benevolence

Mayleen Schack is a Research Associate and PhD candidate at Leuphana University, where her research investigates the role of psychology and science communication in fostering sustainable transformations. Her broader work is guided by an interest in power relations, how ideologies shape societal change. She recently  completed her Master of Science in Psychology of Intercultural Relations at ISCTE, and will be presenting the findings from her master's dissertation on Luso-tropicalism and colonial reparations.