LONDON: The University of Edinburgh benefited financially from transatlantic slavery and served as a haven for scholars developing racist theories in the 18th and 19th centuries, according to a review published on Sunday.

The review, commissioned in 2021, found the university profited from slavery through individual donations to endowments that have funded bursaries, scholarships, chairs and fellowships.

Donations were traced to profits made by individuals and industries involved in enslavement through the cultivation, production and sale of colonial commodities, such as tobacco, sugar and cotton.

Edinburgh follows in the footsteps of other British universities that have acknowledged historical ties to slavery in recent years, including the University of Glasgow, University of Bristol and University of Cambridge.

Founded in 1583, the Edinburgh varsity holds 15 historic endowments linked to African enslavement and 12 tied to British colonialism in India, Singapore, andSouth Africa. Some remain active, the review said.

`We cannot have a selective memory about our past, focusing only on the historical achievements which make us feel proud,` the university`s principal Peter Mathieson said. `We are right to address its complexities too.

The report said that between 1750 and 1850 the university served as a `haven` for professors and alumni who promoted ideas of African inferiority and played an `outsizedrole`in developing racial pseudosciences that justified slavery and colonial expansion.

Among the review`s recommendations were the creation of a research and community centre focused on racism, colonialism, and anti-Black violence, and action to address under-representation of Black staff and students, degree awarding disparities and support barriers for those facing racism.

As well as universities, other major UK institutions, such as the Church of England and the Bank of England, have also started to recognise how they benefited from slavery`s injustices.-Reuters