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Empire and the Colonies: Challenging Ideas of Guilt and Victimhood

talks
academic

Date & Time

Sat, 21 Mar 2026

19:00

Venue

Pusey House: Chapel

Oxford, UK

View original & register

On Oxford Literary Festival - Events 2026

About this event

Nigel Biggar and Marie Kawthar Daouda discuss colonial history and its contemporary interpretations. A challenging examination of empire, colonialism, and how we understand historical guilt, victimhood, and responsibility in the modern context.

Why you should come

AI-powered

• Hear Nigel Biggar present his ethical argument against paying reparations to former colonies

• Learn why Marie Kawthar Daouda believes the colonial narrative denies individual agency

• Explore the complex legacy of colonialism with two prominent Oxford University academics

Event Highlights

  • Ethical and historical debate on the validity of colonial reparations
  • Critique of the narrative that Western colonies were uniquely evil
  • Examination of how victimhood culture impacts individual agency
  • Discussion on the intersection of race, responsibility, and immigration

Speakers

Nigel Biggar

Theologian and former professor of moral theology at the University of Oxford

Marie Kawthar Daouda

Lecturer in French at the University of Oxford

Programme

4:00pm

Empire and the Colonies: Challenging Ideas of Guilt and Victimhood

A 1-hour discussion between Nigel Biggar and Marie Kawthar Daouda on colonialism and reparations.

Organized by: Oxford Literary Festival

Additional details loaded from organizer's website