In this compelling episode of the Beyond Borders Scotland Podcast, we revisit an urgent and unflinching discussion recorded live at the Beyond Borders International Festival. Professor Sir Geoff Palmer is joined by historian William Dalrymple and journalist Alex Renton for a wide-ranging conversation that interrogates Scotland’s role in the legacies of slavery and empire, and how their repercussions are still felt today.

The panel unpacks how racial hierarchies were constructed to justify economic exploitation—from the chattel slavery of the Caribbean to the looting of the Indian subcontinent under the East India Company. Geoff Palmer’s perspective, rooted in personal and academic insight, provides a powerful lens on the enduring impact of colonialism and structural racism. Alex Renton shares his journey of discovering his family's links to slavery, as explored in his book Blood Legacy, while William Dalrymple details Scotland’s disproportionate involvement in colonial India and how the infrastructure of corporate imperialism was born.

Together, they call for truth-telling, reparative justice, and radical curriculum reform as vital steps toward healing and equity in a post-imperial society.

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Find out more:

Beyond Borders Scotland: https://www.beyondbordersscotland.com/

Beyond Borders International Festival: https://www.bbintfest.com/