Britain should give India back its artefacts in lieu of £52trn in colonialism reparations, says historian

A historiographer has suggested Britain instrumentality looted artefacts to its erstwhile colonies alternatively of immense sums successful reparations, aft an Oxfam study suggested India was owed implicit £52 trillion.

The study suggested that Western nations perpetrate to providing erstwhile colonies with astatine slightest £4 trillion annually successful reparations and “climate debt” – a sum reflecting the costs developed economies beryllium poorer nations for climate change.

The report, titled Takers not Makers: The Unjust Poverty and Unearned Wealth of Colonialism, said: “Oxfam calculates that betwixt 1765 and 1900, the richest 10 per cent successful the UK extracted wealthiness from India unsocial worthy US$33.8 trillion (£27.38 trillion) successful today’s money.”

It added that “this would beryllium capable to carpet the aboveground country of London successful £50 notes astir 4 times over”.

The fig of $64.82 trillion (£52.58 trillion) was not calculated by the report’s authors but was attributed to 2 Delhi-based Indian economists, Utsa Patnaik and Prabhat Patnaik.

“Reparations indispensable beryllium made to those who were brutally enslaved and colonised,” the study read. “Our modern-day assemblage economical strategy indispensable beryllium made radically much adjacent to extremity poverty. The outgo should beryllium borne by the richest radical who payment the most.”

Rana Safvi, a starring Indian historiographer and author, questioned the practicality and implications of specified ample sums successful monetary reparations. She told The Independent that determination were concerns astir the complexity of addressing humanities wrongs and the hazard of opening a Pandora’s box, considering the immense standard of past injustices worldwide.

“What they tin really instrumentality are the artefacts, the jewellery, the documents, the manuscripts, the paintings, each that has been looted from India should decidedly beryllium sent back,” she said. “Not conscionable India, you cognize – each these museums each implicit the Western satellite are populated by things from Africa and Asia only.

“While the instrumentality of wealth whitethorn beryllium chasing a fool’s dream, repatriating artefacts and treasures illegally taken from India is indispensable and achievable.”

The Oxfam study drew crisp disapproval from immoderate different academics. Prof Lawrence Goldman, of St Peter’s College, Oxford, was quoted arsenic saying by The Telegraph: “Oxfam depends connected nationalist spot successful the accuracy of accusation it provides. Producing bogus past warped by ideology hardly encourages anyone to excavation heavy successful their pockets and nonstop them cash.”

He added: “There’s a reverse statement successful which Indians should wage Britain for redeeming them from becoming portion of the French overseas empire successful the 18th period oregon being swallowed by Tsarist Russia successful the 19th century, oregon being overrun by the Japanese successful the 20th century, each of which were existent threats.

“But arguments of this type, successful which past becomes ammunition for a governmental assault, are worthless.”

An Oxfam spokesperson told The Independent: “Putting an nonstop fig connected the outgo of colonialism to countries similar India volition ever beryllium a root of debate. We judge the fig we quoted successful the study is simply a tenable one, but different estimates tin beryllium made.

“However, precise fewer would quality that Britain derived a important fiscal payment from its empire and its colonisation of India successful particular, and that these benefits accrued chiefly to the richest radical successful the UK astatine the time.”

The study said that successful 2024 billionaire wealthiness grew 3 times faster than successful 2023, with 5 trillionaires projected wrong a decade. Meanwhile, crises of economy, climate, and struggle mean the “number of radical surviving successful poorness has hardly changed since 1990”.

Most billionaire wealthiness – 60 per cent – stems from inheritance, corruption, oregon monopoly power, Oxfam said. It said that the world’s inequality has roots successful colonialism, which enriched the affluent portion exploiting marginalised groups, including women and racialised communities.

“This exploitation of radical worldwide drove an detonation of wealthiness for affluent radical successful affluent countries and contributed to heavy inequality successful the Global South, often favouring an elite fewer astatine the disbursal of the many.”

The “Takers not Makers” report said this bequest persists, arsenic wealthiness continued to travel from the Global South to the Global North astatine a complaint of $30m (£24.5m) per hour. It noted that to code this imbalance, reparations for assemblage exploitation and systemic reforms targeting the wealthiest are indispensable to execute equality and extremity poverty.

“Reparations to the victims indispensable beryllium made to guarantee restitution, supply satisfaction, compensate for damages incurred, guarantee rehabilitation and forestall aboriginal abuses,” it said.

An Oxfam spokesperson added: “Along with galore different scholars and activists, we judge it is tenable to inquire the richest countries to wage reparations for the harm done by colonialism. It’s not astir asking individuals who are already struggling to wage for the wrongs of the past, reparations should beryllium financed by those who proceed to nett from these systems, specified arsenic the wealthiest individuals and corporations, not mean people.”

“We are not saying that colonialism is the sole operator of inequality; different causes see monopoly powerfulness and cronyism and corruption. But colonialism, some historically and successful the modern time is simply a important origin that indispensable beryllium addressed to make a much equitable aboriginal for all,” they said.

Oxfam International enforcement director, Amitabh Behar, said: “The seizure of our planetary system by a privileged fewer has reached heights erstwhile considered unimaginable. The nonaccomplishment to halt billionaires is present spawning soon-to-be trillionaires. Not lone has the complaint of billionaire wealthiness accumulation accelerated – by 3 times – but truthful excessively has their power.”

He added: “The crown jewel of this oligarchy is simply a billionaire president, backed and bought by the world’s richest antheral Elon Musk, moving the world’s largest economy. We contiguous this study arsenic a stark aftermath up-call that mean radical the satellite implicit are being crushed by the tremendous wealthiness of a tiny few.”

Oxfam besides suggested that governments headdress apical incomes, taxation the rich, abolish taxation havens, and reverse wealthiness flows from the Global South. “Inheritance needs to beryllium taxed to dismantle the caller aristocracy,” it said.

“Former assemblage powers indispensable besides face the lasting harm caused by their assemblage rule, connection ceremonial apologies, and supply reparations to affected communities,” the connection said.