This talk explores the reception of claims of racial discrimination at common law. It takes off from the perspective that, if racial discrimination is only partially addressed in equality law, where else can we locate claims of racial discrimination? The talk thus bypasses the statutory guarantees under the Equality Act 2010 and moves towards the broader realm of common law.

Calls for reparations for slavery, colonialism, settler colonialism and their ongoing effects are resounding around the world. This half-day symposium will explore how reparations demands have enlarged the imagination of what is politically possible and ask what role they can play in undoing entrenched forms of racial inequality.