Alan Lester Recently the news has been full of people outraged at the very idea of discussing reparations for trans-Atlantic slavery. I’m an historian, not an activist for reparations. I get why the idea of them is galling to those who believe they’ll result in hard-pressed British taxpayers transferring cash to distant strangers who were never enslaved themselves. I think there’s a constructive conversation to be had about a form of reparative intervention that is in the UK’s national interest but pressing for that is not my primary concern as an historian. Correcting misinformation about the past is. And there […]
In this video, Alan Lester, Professor of Historical Geography at Sussex University, tackles common questions about the essential topic of Britain’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its enduring legacy. Using data from two key resources—Slave Voyages and the UCL Legacies of British Slave Ownership project—Professor Lester addresses common objections from some audiences. He offers a historical comparison between the trans-Atlantic and Islamic slave systems, challenges the idea of “moving on” from the past, and sheds light on the deep-rooted inequalities that still exist due to Britain’s involvement in slavery.Made by After the Flood Documentaries : @atfdocumentary
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/sep/06/uk-history-survey-loss-of-pride-alan-lester?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Alan Lester and Sunny Colclough Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown (1716-1783) is the most famous ‘place-maker’ in British history. He has been called an ‘omnipotent magician’ who ‘swept away’ country houses’ walled gardens and geometrical planting between the 1750s and 1770s, replacing them with ‘open expanses of turf irregularly scattered with individual trees and clumps’, serpentine lakes, temples and other ornamental buildings.[1] ‘No gardener in history’ says one specialist, has ‘been the object of so much varied attention’ with ‘so many places throughout England involved’.[2] Brown’s stated aim was to supply ‘all the elegance and all the comforts which Mankind wants in […]
Supplementary document to Sunny Colclough’s JRA Project: Colonial Influences on the English Countryside: Capability Brown’s Commissions and their Imperial Connections. Spreadsheet of properties and links here Key to the Spreadsheet: Nature of Colonial connection Direct link to property owner This is given if the property owner: Direct political link to property owner This is given if the property owner: Direct military link to property owner This is given if the property owner: Indirect link to property owner This is given if the property owner: Direct family link This is given if the property owner: Indirect family link This is given […]
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-extra-podcast/id256580326?i=1000663778299
On 15th September I’ll be in conversation with David Olusoga at the Royal Geographical Society, about the importance of insisting on the realities of the British Empire in the middle of a culture war, and the importance of historians amid the resurgence of nationalism. Do come along!
Alan Lester I’ve been spending a lot of time recently talking about slavery in British history to people who really don’t want to hear it. I don’t mean haranguing shoppers in Oxford Street, but talks to church, community and business groups comprised of small ‘c’ conservative White people who’ve been willing at least to hear me out. I’ve kept it factual and based it on two main databases: https://www.slavevoyages.org/ on British participation in the trans-Atlantic slave ‘trade’ and https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/ on slave ownership. On every occasion, there have been the two main objections. In case it’s useful for others, here they […]
