MANIFEST Resources Book: Compilation of historical articles on the transatlantic trade of enslaved people

Abstract

This book of historical resources presents texts written by historians and sociologists who have researched topics at the intersection of the history of the transatlantic trade of enslaved people. The perspectives within this catalogue are varied. The topics engaged by the contributing writers range from exploring history through the influence of French West Indian Music to representations of Africans and West Indians in Europe in the 18th-20th Century and from detaining the construction of ships that transported Enslaved African people to the history of Northern Europe’s role as traders of Enslaved African people. Europe played a central role in the transatlantic trade of enslaved people. Yet, there is little to honour the afterlives of slavery, and there are limited accessible records of the evolution of this painful history and how it is reflected in contemporary societies. This is especially so as scholars challenge the established norms set in the colonial era in various ways. This collection of articles does not pretend to represent a completely decolonial perspective. Still, it moves us further in these very needed and pertinent discussions, recognising the need to deepen access to knowledge resources as conversations evolve.

The Project MANIFEST: New artistic perspectives on memories of the transatlantic trade of enslaved people, acknowledges the impact of artistic creation that is deeply connected to historical records and developed in parallel an Artistic Journey that was complimented by a growing archive of historical record. It is a cross-disciplinary initiative dedicated to re-imagining and contributing to Europe’s collective memory of the transatlantic trade of enslaved people. The publication aims to widen the written records in relation to colonial legacies as well as to provide a starting-point for deeper discussions around decolonial processes in relation to how history is recorded and transposed. It acknowledges the complexity of historical perspectives and methods that in themselves are in constant evolution.