Wilberforce Institute Our story Business services Our work Our people PhD community Our publications News and events Contact us More Back Completed projects Scotland’s diasporas in a global context Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us The Challenge Uncovering Scotland’s slavery past. Helping inform effective modern-day migration policies. As part of an international team of leading history academics we investigated some of the less known aspects of Scotland’s past. Firstly we uncovered the considerable role Scotland played in the transatlantic slavery trade. Conversely however Scotland society tends to be relatively tolerant of migrant communities. Intrigued to explore the roots of how more tolerant societies may be created, we also researched Scotland’s more recent global migration history with the aim of uncovering the relationship between historical and contemporary global approaches. Scotland’s diasporas in a global context’ drew together academics, policymakers and practitioners in a seminar series examining global migration in and out of Scotland. The Approach Lead researchers Project funded by The project was one of the most wide-ranging research investigations into Scottish global migrations. We produced a series of high-profile events held around the world. Leading experts and politicians such as the British Prime Minister and the First Minister of Scotland were among the prominent speakers featured. These events profiled cutting-edge research on the subject; engaged new audiences such as school pupils; and promoted education around the issues discussed. The Impact The project uncovered some forgotten sections of Scotland’s history during a period of increasing diversity. The findings are valuable for helping inform effective immigration policies. blogs.otago.ac.nz/scotsdiaspora/ Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us Other completed research projects View all projects Completed project Antislavery Usable Past Using lessons learned from previous abolition movements to bolster the present-day fight against slavery. Completed project Redrawing Slavery Redrawing slavery: debt, law, and the market in the process of enslavement. Completed project Trans-Atlantic slave trade database Harnessing decade’s worth of research expertise in historical slavery, the database rose to the challenge of documenting the estimated 36,000 voyages taken to transport slaves. Completed project Stolen Lives A vibrant and interactive collection of films, stories and songs that use the power of imagery and music to raise awareness of modern slavery issues among schoolchildren. Completed project Remembering 1807 How did the UK mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery? With more than 300 events - now preserved in an archive. Completed project Debt, poverty and slavery in historical perspective Exploring the historial relationship between debt and slavery.