This edited volume examines Belgian colonial governance in Central Africa between 1885 and 1962, covering the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, and the mandates over Rwanda and Burundi. It focuses on the legal and administrative dimensions of colonial rule, situating them within broader debates on imperial governance and justice in British and French territories. Drawing on archival sources and colonial literature, the book examines how law and justice were codified and practiced in Belgian colonies, and how these systems reflected and reinforced colonial hierarchies. It also explores the complex legacy of colonial administration, marked by both nostalgia and resentment among colonisers and the colonised, and the enduring impact of violence as a tool of governance. Visual culture, oral traditions, and popular art are considered alongside legal texts to offer a multifaceted understanding of imperial experience. By integrating the Belgian case into wider histories of European colonisation and Western imperialism, this volume contributes to global discussions on the legal and political structures of empire.

Françoise Muller is a civil servant in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Belgium. Previously, she studied contemporary history at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in Belgium, and has additional training in law and political science. Her research focuses on the history of Belgian justice and digital humanities.

Xavier Rousseaux is a Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium. His research explores the history of crime and justice in Belgian spaces, and in a European perspective. He is an editorial board member for the Crime, History, and Societies journal.

Nathalie Tousignant is Professor of Contemporary History at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCLouvain) Saint-Louis Brussels, Belgium. She is a specialist in postcolonial studies, with a focus on the relations between Belgium and its former colony, the Democratic Republic of Congo.