CERES Lecture Series
The Political Economy of Global Reparations in the 21st Century
A roundtable on ‘The Political Economy of Global Reparations in the 21st Century’ was organised by the Development and Change journal and co-sponsored by the International Institute of Social Studies and CERES, The Dutch Research School of International Development. The event took place on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 16:00 to 18:00, and aimed to examine the issue of global reparations and their relevance for development.
The event brought together scholars and experts from diverse fields and regions to explore the political economy of global reparations and their impact on development.
About the roundtable
Claims for reparations, which involve demands for acknowledgment and redress regarding past or ongoing alleged injustices or inequalities, have experienced a resurgence in recent years. This resurgence is not limited to legacies of slavery and colonialism but also extends to interrelated issues such as climate change and ongoing illicit financial flows from the Global South to the Global North.
During this discussion, the speakers delved into the historical context and contemporary challenges surrounding reparations. They explored issues ranging from addressing historical injustices to broader contemporary concerns, all while analyzing the transformative potential of reparations within the global economic system.
Taking a political economy approach, the focus was on the feasibility, costs, financing, and possible (adverse) political and economic consequences of global reparations for the Global South.
Participants further reflected on each of these aspects in light of:
- The problematic characteristics of the current global economic and financial system into which reparations would be inserted, and
- The domestic power inequalities that often work to the detriment of the groups that are supposed to be the beneficiaries of reparations.
Speakers
- Professor Gurminder BhambraOpens external, University of Sussex, UK
- Professor Horace CampbellOpens external, Syracuse University, New York, USA
- Dr Lebohang Liepollo PhekoOpens external, Senior Research Fellow at Trade Collective
- Emeritus Professor Hilbourne WatsonOpens external, Bucknell University, USA
The roundtable was moderated by Dr Peter James Hudson.Opens external
Watch the roundtable recording here
Inaugural CERES-ISS Lectures
On 12 March 2020, CERES marked the transition of CERES to ISS with two inaugural lectures of its new CERES-ISS Lecture Series, also timed to open the 2020 CERES PhD Training Course. The first lecture was by Dr Robtel Neajai Pailey, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Department of International Development, University of Oxford. She spoke on ‘Women, Equality, and Citizenship in Contemporary Africa’. The second was by Professor Daniela Gabor, Professor of Economics and Macrofinance at University of the West England in Bristol. Her lecture was on: ‘From the Washington Consensus to the Wall Street Consensus: researching development in the age of financial globalisation’.
The lectures can be viewed here:
1) https://media.eur.nl/Mediasite/Play/69151ae157dc45db9f58a8f5b5fd31971d
2) https://media.eur.nl/Mediasite/Play/9abeb4310fe049bdbb9cf4c30196d0e11d
The lecture series was subsequently put on hold due to the COVID-19 situation and the overload of online options that ensued. The series will be continued once conditions again allow for in-person lectures at ISS or at other CERES member institutions.
More information on the CERES-ISS lecture series will follow in due course.