August 2025

August 1st marks Emancipation Day across many Caribbean nations, a day to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834. Celebrations abound, filled with vibrant cultural expressions, historical reenactments, and reflections on the arduous journey towards freedom. Yet, behind the jubilant facade lies a persistent truth: for many Caribbean islands, emancipation remains an incomplete project. While legal shackles are long gone, economic dependency, cultural imperialism, and the lingering psychological effects of slavery continue to cast long shadows.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – Jamaica will not relent in its pursuit of reparations for the injustices of slavery, says Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange.

This book opens with Olúfémi Táíwò proclaiming that “Trans-Atlantic slavery and colonialism built the world we live in… if we want reparations, we should be thinking more broadly about how to remake the world system.” And what better place to begin this bold articulation of Táíwò’s views on reparations, now released in paperback, than by analysing the sins of his own institution, the Jesuit-founded Georgetown University, where he is an associate professor of philosophy?