Reconsidering Reparations
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò
(Author)
Description
Reparations for slavery have become a reinvigorated topic for public debate over the last decade. Most theorizing about reparations treats it as a social justice project - either rooted in reconciliatory justice focused on making amends in the present; or, they focus on the past, emphasizing restitution for historical wrongs. Olà femi O. TàÃ-wà argues that neither approach is optimal, and advances a different case for reparations - one rooted in a hopeful future that tackles the issue of climate change head on, with distributive justice at its core. This view, which he calls the "constructive" view of reparations, argues that reparations should be seen as a future-oriented project engaged in building a better social order; and that the costs of building a more equitable world should be distributed more to those who have inherited the moral liabilities of past injustices. This approach to reparations, as TàÃ-wà shows, has deep and surprising roots in the thought of Black political thinkers such as James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr, and Nkechi Taifa, as well as mainstream political philosophers like John Rawls, Charles Mills, and Elizabeth Anderson. TàÃ-wà 's project has wide implications for our views of justice, racism, the legacy of colonialism, and climate change policy.Product Details
Price
$43.69
Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Publish Date
January 20, 2022
Pages
280
Dimensions
5.4 X 7.9 X 1.3 inches | 0.85 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780197508893
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University. His theoretical work draws liberally from the Black radical tradition, contemporary social science, and histories of activism and activist thinkers. His public philosophy, including articles exploring intersections of climate justice and colonialism, has appeared in The New Yorker, The Guardian, The New Republic, The Nation, Foreign Affairs, The Philosopher, Aeon, and Boston Review. His book Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else) is forthcoming from Haymarket.
Reviews
"Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò's Reconsidering Reparations offers a novel, passionate, and compelling account of reparative justice in the contemporary world. Offering a "constructive" theory of reparations, Táíwò combines two pressing moral and political concerns: reparations for historical injustices, and environmental justice for future generations." -- Felix Lambrecht, University of Toronto, Ethics"This book takes on the question of reparations for the damage wrought by colonialism and slavery. Drawing on the efforts of anti-colonial activists of the 20th century, Táíwò calls for a constructive approach to reparations to establish a new world order based on justice." -- J. M. Rich, CHOICE"Colonialism isn't over. Instead of men in pith helmets, the rich now send pollution, climate catastrophe, development consultants and philanthropists. In this sweeping, subtle and sophisticated analysis, Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò presents an iron-clad case for why colonialism's end must coincide with a reparative transformation in relations between the colonizer and colonized, in the Global North and South. It's required reading for anyone looking for the arguments to support a just, and healing, future." -- Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing and co-author of Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice"Weaving together the long-held redistribution demands of revolutionary movements for racial justice and decolonization with the scientific imperative for immediate climate action, Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò builds the irresistible case for decarbonization through reparation. Coursing with moral urgency and propelled by brilliant prose, this is more than argument. It's how we build the power needed to win." -- Naomi Klein, Author of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate"An extremely welcome intervention into the contemporary debate about reparations." -- Vanessa Wills, The George Washington University"In this forcefully argued book, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò grounds the case for reparations in a sweeping yet synthetic account of the historical origins of our starkly unequal world order. Weaving together multiple traditions of radical thought and attuned to the most pressing debates of our moment, Táíwò reveals reparations to be world-making in two potent senses of the term. As a means of dismantling and transforming Global Racial Empire--necessarily a project planetary in its spatial horizons and internationalist in the scope of its solidarities--reparations are in turn a requirement for saving the earth and human society from the climate crisis." -- Thea Riofrancos, author of Resource Radicals: From Petro-Nationalism to Post-Extractivism in Ecuador"I give my highest recommendation to Táíwò's philosophically rich and important book." -- Jennifer M. Page, Radical Philosophy Review
