Legacies of slavery & colonialism

This branch of our research aims to promote an uncensored understanding of Britain’s legacies of slavery and colonialism, as well as increasing engagement with the Caribbean.

Since the Wilberforce Institute opened in 2006, researchers have sought to raise awareness of the unfinished business of slavery here in Britain and further afield.

Through working with heritage partners, organisations and Black communities, we aim to increase the visibility of Black British history as a way of repairing some of the wounds of British imperialism and the legacies of slavery.

Our legacy research is based on academic expertise and real-world experience engaging with a range of organisations to uncover obscured links between slavery and colonialism.

Below are examples of some recent projects.

The Scott Trust Legacies of Enslavement Report

Researchers at the Wilberforce Institute are working on a project commissioned by The Scott Trust Limited (owners of Guardian Media Group) to uncover links between transatlantic slavery and the founders of the Manchester Guardian.

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Co-creating Heritage - Challenging perceptions of Sierra Leone

Homelands, a co-produced photography exhibition, examined the shared homelands of British service personnel and Sierra Leonian people during the upheaval of the Second World War.

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European Colonial Heritage Modalities in Entangled Cities (ECHOES)

Collaborating with researchers in China, Brazil, and South Africa to better understand how museums interact with colonial histories.

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