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Books

Unconvincing COLONIALISM: A MORAL CLR James had remarked:
“Those who see in aboli-
defence RECKONING tion the gradually awaken-
Nigel Biggar
ing conscience of man-
WILLIAM COLLINS kind should spend a few
N ATTEMPTING TO Rs.899 minutes asking themselves
defend the empire Nigel Pages 480 why it is that man’s con-
IBiggar, Director and science, which had slept
Regius Professor Emeritus peacefully for so many cen-
of Moral & Pastoral Theol- turies, should awake just
ogy at Oxford University, for which the slave trade In an unabashed at the time that men began
has waded into several was an important source defence of British to see the unprofitableness
familiar debates in a rather of capital. But by the end colonialism, the of slavery as a method of
superficial manner, usually of the 18th century, slavery author has waded into production in the West
ignoring writings which do was no longer economi- familiar debates in Indian colonies.”
not serve his purpose, and cally viable. This became a rather superficial Similarly, in the section
relying on scholars whose one of the factors prompt- manner in the chapter entitled
positions coincide with his ing the abolition of slavery ‘Free Trade, Investment
own. Perhaps this is partly in the 1830s. and “Exploitation”’,
due to his inadequate After summing up Wil- No serious discussion on which deals with the
familiarity with historical liams’ thesis, Biggar refers this question can afford impact of colonialism on
literature on questions to some recent and not so to disregard Blackburn’s the Indian economy, the
which are relevant for the recent writings which have massive volumes. author avoids engaging
moral assessment being critiqued or caricatured Biggar’s estimate for with the large literature
undertaken by him. it. He is not interested in the total number of slaves on deindustrialization,
One example would suf- important writings which imported into the Ameri- drain of wealth, forced
fice: the abolition of slav- have deepened our under- can continent by British commercialisation, and
ery. Britain was an active standing of slavery and its merchants is 3,259,443, famines, essential for
participant in the Atlantic abolition, such as the stud- between 1660 and 1807 an understanding of the
slave trade for over 150 ies of CLR James, W.E.B. (the year in which the processes which led to the
years before, beginning Du Bois and more recently slave trade was outlawed), impoverishment of India
to realise towards the end of Robin Blackburn. Nor the generally accepted under colonial rule. He
of the 18th century that it does he take into account number. The Portuguese relies almost exclusively
was an evil business. This the role of slave resistance shipped around double on the work of Tirthankar
was, according to Biggar, in creating conditions that that number between the Roy. The clarity, acces-
the outcome of the efforts led to the end of slavery. 1500s and 1860s. This sibility and sophistication
of abolitionists. Their suc- The role of the slave gives us an idea about the of Roy’s extensive writings
cessful campaign led to the revolt in Haiti (Saint magnitude of the Atlantic are valuable for present-
end of the slave trade, and Domingue) in the 1790s trade. Nevertheless, the ing a rosier picture of the
eventually slavery — hardly can hardly be overempha- book is not concerned colonial economy than is
an original argument. sised in this context. The about the implications warranted.
In putting forth his successful revolt shook the the enslavement of such a The insights of early
argument he debunks institution to its founda- huge number of Africans nationalists have been
the classic study of Eric tions. Blackburn’s signifi- had for African societies further enriched by the
Williams, Capitalism and cantly titled The Over- or the toll it took on the research of, among oth-
Slavery. The book was first throw of Colonial Slavery: psyche of the slaves. Just ers, Utsa Patnaik, Amiya
published in 1944 and reis- 1776-1848 (1988), which two brief paragraphs are Bagchi, Tapan Raychaud-
sued as a Penguin Modern shifted the focus away devoted to the issue. huri, Irfan Habib, Bipan
Classic in 2022, indicating from the abolitionist move- Commenting on the Chandra and Benay
its continuing relevance. ment, is not mentioned view that once the con- Bhushan Chaudhuri, none
Williams demonstrated even in the bibliography science of the English had of which is mentioned. The
the linkages between the while there is just a pass- been awakened and they only critical work cited is
Atlantic slave-trade, slav- ing reference to his later realised the iniquity of Shashi Tharoor’s well-
ery in the Caribbean, and work, The Making of New slavery, they took steps to argued Inglorious Empire
the Industrial Revolution World Slavery (2010). do away with the system, (published as An Era of

182 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2023