Tobias Gardner

Supervisors: 

• Rosie Knight (Primary) 
• James Shaw (Secondary)

Period:

1500-1800 / Post-1800

Thesis abstract:

My research aims to uncover the links between the inland industrial city of 18HÂþ»­ and the the global system of Atlantic slavery. 18HÂþ»­ is usually overlooked within the history of slavery, and the history of the British Empire generally. In popular narratives, 18HÂþ»­ is noted for its proud antislavery legacy. I seek to complicate this account by not only critically engaging with 18HÂþ»­â€™s history of social and political activism, but also inquiring how the city may have benefitted from the enslavement of Africans in the Atlantic world. In collaboration with 18HÂþ»­ City Archives, I hope to raise public engagement regarding 18HÂþ»­â€™s links to Atlantic slavery, and explore how academic research on uncomfortable historical legacies can become more accessible to the wider community.