Liverpool and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

About

This module aims to explore how Liverpool’s changing built environment, socio-economic structure and architectural landmarks were shaped by the town’s involvement in the transAtlantic slave trade. It will introduce students to the merchant community — cemented by familial and commercial networks — whose personal fortunes were linked to the slave trade and contributed to Liverpool’s impressive urban progress. A case study of the Liverpool Athenaeum, a private members library and newsroom which was funded by some of Liverpool’s leading slave merchants, will shed light upon the complexities of disentangling wealth generated in a multi-occupational environment. It will also highlight the dichotomy of the pursuit of enlightenment knowledge funded by slavery. This module will conclude by considering the legacy left by Liverpool's involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and how we may begin to re-contextualise the city’s past.

Course leader

Lois Wignall

Course aim

- To build students’ confidence in understanding, discussing and communicating complex
ideas, both in written and spoken language.
- To develop skills in research and collaborative learning.
- To provide students with a critical introduction to Liverpool’s eighteenth-century social,
cultural and commercial history, with a particular focus on the city’s links to the transAtlantic slave trade