Defending the History of Africa and the African Diaspora
Who gets to tell the story of a nation? Do our histories leave out important voices—and how can we start to include them?
On 1 November, historian Hakim Adi discussed his book African and Caribbean People in Britain: a History, which was recently shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize. Hakim is an expert on Pan-Africanism, the modern political history of Africa, and the history of the African diaspora. He was the first African-British scholar to be appointed to a professorship in history in the UK and leads the History Matters group, which focuses on the underrepresentation of students and teachers of African-Caribbean heritage within the discipline.
The talk considered the history of Britain from the perspective of African and Caribbean people to draw attention to some of the often untold stories of Britain's past. His talk spanned decades to demonstrate the lasting and impactful legacy British colonisation has had on the lives of African and Caribbean people—and continues to have today.
The event was the first of three public lectures in the Legacy of Slavery Working Party lecture series, which is taking place during November 2023. In the next lecture, on 14 November, historian Thomas Harding will consider how to reckon with the legacy of slavery from a personal as well as a collective angle. In the final lecture on 22 November, Prof Catherine Hall will explore the profound mark that Caribbean plantation slavery left on Britain.
All are welcome to attend these public talks, which are free of charge.
