People of African descent have resided in Britain long before the SS Empire Windrush ship arrived in Tilbury, London on 22 June 1948.
There has been a continuous black presence on British shores since the Roman era. This module will not only look at the rise of Black people since Tudor England and after – particularly as a result of the transatlantic slave trade that connected continents and people. It will also examine Liverpool’s critical role in becoming the “slaving capital of the world” during the 1700s which fuelled the industrial revolution and birthed racial inequalities that currently exist not only in Britain but globally.
Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we shall explore the lives of Black people in Britain and how White Britons interacted with African descended people via social, cultural and political history. Students will be encouraged to choose topics that interest them for assessment.