"'Colonialism' and 'empire' have recently become bywords for oppression, racial prejudice, cultural destruction, and economic exploitation. And yet the British Empire led the world in the suppression of slavery throughout the 19th century. And the reason why young Canadians lie buried in Normandy and Sicily is that the Empire called them to fight fascism in 1939-45. So where does the truth lie? Was the British Empire good as well as bad? If so, how should we make moral sense of it overall?"
In this lecture, Prof. Dr. Nigel Biggar (University of Oxford) will explore how humanitarian was the British Empire, and to what extend it promoted human welfare.
After the lecture, Prof. Dr. Prabo Mihindukulasuriya (Regent College) will offer a response to Dr. Nigel Biggar.
This lecture will be held at UBC’s Sage Lecture Hall (6331 Crescent Road, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z1). A reception will take place before the event from 5:30 PM to 6:50 PM. All are welcome. No RSVP required.
This lecture will be recorded and subsequently posted on YouTube and the “Recorded Lectures” section of our website.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Dr. Nigel Biggar is Regius Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and author of the bestselling Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning (2023, 2024). Described as “one of the leading living Western ethicists” (New Statesman, November 2020), he was appointed C.B.E. “for services to higher education” in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours list in 2021, named one of Prospect’s Top Thinkers of 2024, and granted a life peerage by King Charles III in 2025.
Dr. Prabo Mihindukulasuriya joined Regent’s faculty in 2022 after two decades of service at Colombo Theological Seminary in Sri Lanka, where he held a variety of faculty and staff roles. From 2014 to 2021, he served as Deputy Principal and Head of Publishing, a role that also included extensive teaching responsibilities. His dissertation was recently published as Unmasking the Empire: British Christian Humanitarians and the Ceylonese Campaign for Justice Following the 1915 Pogrom (Social Scientists Association, 2023). His extensive publication history also includes a 2013 monograph, two edited volumes, numerous journal articles, and multiple entries in reference works, including “Poverty and Wealth” and “Prosperity Gospel” in the South Asia Bible Commentary (Open Door Publications/Langham Partnership, 2015).