'Compelling and timely' Tirthankar Roy

'Essential reading' David Eltis

Many now claim that Western countries should pay reparations to former colonies for the lasting damage they caused, especially through slavery. Why is this claim being made now? How far does it make sense? And, more generally, how can historic wrongs be righted?

Reparations removes the sloganeering from a newly-fashionable cause, sets the issue in its proper historical context, and mounts an ethical counter-argument. The natural sequel to Nigel Biggar's bestselling and widely acclaimed Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning, it makes a powerful contribution to an increasingly prominent public debate.

About the Author
Nigel Biggar, CBE is Lord Biggar of Castle Douglas and Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford. Described as 'one of the leading living Western ethicists' (John Gray, New Statesman), he was appointed Commander of the British Empire for services to higher education in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours list and named one of Prospect magazine's Top Thinkers of 2024. In January 2025 he entered the House of Lords as a Conservative peer. He is the author of the bestselling Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning.

Reviews

'A major contribution to the long-running debate on reparations for the British role in slavery and the slave trade; essential reading for all participants' - David Eltis, Professor Emeritus of History, Emory University

'In this compelling and timely book, Nigel Biggar argues that calls for reparations over colonialism or slavery are hollow, rooted in a shallow reading of history, bad faith, and - arguably - political opportunism. Reparations is a strong plea to see Britain's past more clearly and honestly' - Tirthankar Roy, Professor, Economic History, London School of Economics

'I hope Professor Biggar's compelling case against reparations helps move us beyond the illusion that payouts can resolve the challenges facing Black communities - and towards the real work that drives lasting progress' - Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, author of 'My great-grandfather, the Nigerian slave-trader', The New Yorker, 2018

Praise for Colonialism:

'A fascinating read, informative, surprising and written with panache and clarity' - The Times

'Carries the intellectual force of a Javeline antitank missile. Colonialism is no apologia for empire... but calls for balance...Biggar acknowledges wickedness in our nation but his version of history calls us to accept the messiness and moral compromises inherent in liberalism' - Sunday Times

'The book on the morality of the British Empire, a kind of Encyclopaedia Pacis Britannicae.... a thoughtful, compelling text' - Sunday Telegraph

'An important, timely and brave book...the first serious counter blast against the hysterical and ahistorical orthodoxy that has placed such a stranglehold on our public discourse on the British Empire, and as such will prove to be an indispensable handbook in the battles to come. It is also exceedingly well written and compellingly argued' - The Critic

Book Information
ISBN 9781800755598
Author Nigel Biggar
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Forum
Publisher Swift Press