Rethinking British Capitalism's Racial History
Historians in Britain have long shaped public discourse on racial politics. In the early Victorian era, they constructed a narrative centered on national progress and the abolition of the slave trade and slavery, honoring activist William Wilberforce. Recent scholarship has reversed this narrative, examining the extent of British involvement in enslaving Africans, its role in forming industrial capitalism, and slavery's lasting legacy. Research into compensation records paid to slave owners has radically transformed understanding of this history.
Key facts
- Historians in Britain have played a key role in public debate on racial politics since the early Victorian era.
- Early narratives focused on national progress and Britain's role in abolishing the slave trade and slavery.
- William Wilberforce was honored as an emancipation activist.
- Recent scholarship questions the nature and extent of British involvement in African enslavement.
- Research examines the role of slavery in the formation of industrial capitalism.
- The lasting legacy of slavery to the present day is being studied.
- Compensation records paid to slave owners have been examined.
- This research has radically transformed the understanding of British history.
Entities
Artists
- William Wilberforce
Institutions
- Church of the Holy Trinity, Clapham
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Clapham