Affirmative Action, Historical Injustice, and the Concept of Beneficiaries

There are many arguments in favour of affirmative action.Some focus on the positive effects of diversity or the provision of role models for underrepresented groups, while others appeal to the need to overcome segregation. 1 Yet others contend that by counteracting the unequal opportunities rooted in past discrimination, affirmative action results in a job market closer to the ideal of meritocracy. 2All of these arguments are forward-looking in that they appeal to the positive consequences of affirmative action schemes.This article focuses on a particular backward-looking argument based on the putative obligations of the innocent beneficiaries of past injustices to benefit the