Sol Iustitiae Setting?

Academia and the legacy of slavery

Slavery was legal, in conformity with the law in force in the former colonies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, until abolition on July 1, 1863. Seldom is it shown more clearly that the law as it stands may indeed be unjust and utterly abject. The consequences work their way through, which does not surprise at all. Precisely the academic institution that has law and justice as its domain, the law faculty, should be concerned with this past and with its relationship to the institution of slavery. How did the Utrecht law faculty, its professors, students and alumni relate to slavery? A dozen students and four supervisors researched aspects of this relationship. This book reports on that bewildering past and present. The editors and authors are associated with the Utrecht University Law School as professors and students.