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Revolution and Abolition: History and Legacies of the Atlantic Slave Trade

Module description

The late-Eighteenth century saw intense debates about the evils of slavery, the limits of political liberty, and the link between imaginative literature and historical agency. This module introduces you to some of the key texts written in the incredibly tumultuous period between the 1780s and 1820 when Britain was involved in a transatlantic slave trade, a global war with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and wracked at home by often violent political agitation. The module looks both at the historical conditions that led to abolition and slave rebellions in the Atlantic world, while also considering imaginative literature that contributed to political debates. The module will also consider contemporary issues in heritage, commemoration, and reparation relating to the Transatlantic slave trade and its legacy.

Module aims - intentions of the module

You will be introduced to a range of historical and theoretical perspectives for looking at issues surrounding the movement towards abolition of the slave trade and slavery in the British Empire. You will examine primary sources including polemical prose, poetry, parliamentary oratory, and life-writing that played a role in the movement for abolition. You will consider some of the debates in contemporary historiography of the Black Atlantic, and consider the legacies of the slave trade in literature and heritage in the present day.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a knowledge of a range of Eighteenth-century writings about slavery and abolition
• 2. Describe an important strand of late-Eighteenth political history
• 3. Demonstrate a knowledge of contemporary debates in historiography and heritage regarding the Black Atlantic

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Analyse primary sources (both literary and otherwise) of an earlier era and to relate its concerns and its modes of expression to its historical context
• 5. Demonstrate an ability to relate primary sources to wider theoretical and historical frameworks

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Demonstrate, through seminar work, communication skills, and work both individually and in groups
• 7. Demonstrate, through essay-writing, appropriate research and bibliographic skills, construct a coherent, substantiated argument, and write clear and correct prose

Syllabus plan

This is an indicative syllabus of the types of topics that will be covered. Please contact the module convenor for an up-to-date reading list:

• Anti-slavery literature in the 1780s and 1790s and onwards
• Life-writing and slavery
• Slave revolts in the Caribbean
• The Haitian Revolution, its legacy and historiography
• Issues around heritage and commemoration of slavery and abolition
• Theoretical frameworks for considering race, slavery, and abolition

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to redo the assessment(s) as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Reading lists will be provided a dedicated ELE & TALIS site for the module

Key words search

Slavery, abolition, politics, literature, eighteenth century, revolution, Atlantic Studies