Alumni in Conversation: Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment

Join Edinburgh Law School’s Professor John Cairns in conversation with fellow Edinburgh alumnus John D. O. Fulton as they discuss Mr Fulton’s new book, Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment (Fonthill Media Ltd, 25 May 2024), and their current research on the topic.

Professor Cairns and Mr Fulton will discuss how the Scottish Enlightenment is entwined with slavery and the slave trade; reflecting on its historical and present-day impact on the Scottish legal system, society, and beyond.

The talk will be followed by a drinks reception.

About the alumni

Professor John W. Cairns F.R.S.E. (LLB (H), 1977) is a Professor of Civil Law and Chair of Civil Law at Edinburgh Law School. Professor Cairns is a specialist in Scottish legal history, especially the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with a special interest in the role of Roman or Civil Law in Scotland, as well as on the legal histories of Louisiana and Quebec. His current research interests in slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment. More about Professor Cairns’ research and publications.

John. D. O. Fulton WS (LLB, 1975) is an Edinburgh born lawyer and author. Following graduation from Edinburgh Law School, John entered the legal profession and worked in property and trust law, developing an international client base over his forty-year career. Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment is John’s second book and follows his widely-praised book 66: The House that Viewed the World. Read the synopsis of Slavery and the Scottish Enlightenment. [external link]

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