Reparations : Slavery and the Tyranny of Guilt

Many people and countries now claim that the West should pay reparations to its former colonies for the economic damages they say they caused. To what extent is the argument about damage correct in the first place? And, if it is correct, what should we now do about it?

Reparations is the sequel to Nigel Biggar''s bestselling and widely acclaimed Colonialism. It is as a book of significant importance – not least as a study of the psychology of guilt.

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.