Remembering Slave Trade Abolitions will bring together critical reflections on the commemoration of the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade in 2007. Our goal is not to duplicate the many commemorative events and conferences that have taken place this year, but rather to document and intervene in a debate on the politics of such commemorations.
The conference will place the various commemorative events that have taken place in Britain in a comparative frame in order to think about how and why the bicentenary looks different from the point of view of, for instance, people in Ghana, Jamaica, and Britain.
Key questions are: how has the 1807 abolition of the slave trade been understood in 2007? What do representations of the 1807 Act and its consequences imply about current political debates about race, slavery, and history? How will the 2007 anniversary impact the way in which histories of slavery and emancipation are publicly presented and debated? How are these connected with current concerns and struggles regarding race, inequality, and ‘multiculturalism’?
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La Bouche du Roi: an artwork by Romuald Hazoumé © 1997-2005 Romuald Hazoumé. Photo: Benedict Johnson