Mona Academic Conference 2007, The University of West Indies at Mona

Hilary Beckles
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Professor Hilary Beckles, BA(Hons) PhD 1980 (University of Hull) is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus of The University of the West Indies. Professor Beckles began his association with The University of the West Indies in 1979, as a Temporary Lecturer in the Department of History at Mona. In 1980, he was appointed Lecturer and in 1985 he was made Senior lecturer in the History Department at Cave Hill. By that time he had presented papers at the British Slave Emancipation Conference at Hull and at the Capitalism and Slavery Conference at the Rockefeller Study and Conference Centre in Bellagio, Italy; and had written two books entitled “European Settlement and Rivalry in the Caribbean 1492-1972” and “Black Rebellion in Barbados: The Struggle against Slavery, 1627-1838”. Professor Beckles was promoted to Reader in Caribbean Economic and Social History in 1990; was awarded a Personal Chair , Professor of Economic and Social History in 1993; appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor, Board for Undergraduate Studies in 1998 and in 2002 he was appointed Principal of the Cave Hill Campus.

Professor Beckles was Head, Department of History (1992-1996), Dean Faculty of Humanities (1995-1998) and Director, Centre for Cricket Research (1994 – present)
His prolific publication of over one hundred books, monographs, articles in refereed journals, papers and presentations, continued in spite of his teaching commitments and his responsibilities as a senior Administrator.

In 2000, Professor Beckles led the Barbados National Delegation to the UN Conference on Race in Durban, and presented the case for Reparations on behalf of Caribbean national delegates to the Working Croup of the conference. He spearheaded the UNESCO International Slave Route Schools’ Project and published three books in 2001-2002 for worldwide distribution. He has delivered public lectures on topics ranging from Columbus to modern day issues on gender, economic and political life in the region, emancipation, reparation and cricket. In 2001 and 2005 respectively he gave the Eric Williams Memorial Lecture at Florida International University and the Walter Rodney Memorial Lecture at Warwick University on the subject of Reparations.

Abstract: “Reparations: Taking Forward the Caribbean’s Case”