Black Atlantic: Power, People, Resistance

This book and exhibition explore the history of the Black Atlantic, including the role of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire in commerce, profit, colonialism, opinion-forming, and resistance movements. It uses historic artworks, artifacts, and natural history specimens to analyze the rise and growth of enslavement, the profits made by Dutch and British traders and plantation-owners, the power of images, the knowledge produced by enslaved people, and the consequences of these events today. Contemporary makers challenge long-held assumptions and create alternative narratives of repair, freedom, and justice.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 07 September 2023
Publisher: Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd

Between 1400 and 1900, European powers, notably Britain, colonized the Americas and forcibly transported over 12.5 million people from sub-Saharan Africa to serve as slaves. This complex and multifaceted region, known as the Black Atlantic, emerged as a result of the interactions between diverse individuals and cultures, both Black and white. Cambridge and Cambridgeshire played a significant role in this global narrative, encompassing a tapestry of commerce, profit, colonialism, opinion-shaping, and resistance. This book, accompanied by an exhibition, delves into the rise and expansion of enslavement, the financial gains made by Dutch and British traders and plantation owners, the power of visual representations, the knowledge generated by enslaved people, histories of resistance movements, and the enduring consequences of these historical events. Contemporary makers, through their works, challenge prevailing assumptions, rectify erasures, and offer alternative narratives of repair, freedom, and justice.

Weight: 744g
Dimension: 246 x 191 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781781301234