American Historical Association (AHA)
2011 Annual Meeting: "History, Society, and the Sacred"
Boston, 6-9 January 2011

Session Proposal

Title: Teaching Slavery and Abolition in the Twenty-First Century

Organisers: Filipa Ribeiro da Silva and Joel Quirk

Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), University of Hull

The last decade has been marked by growing interest in the way in which the history of slavery and abolition has been represented in museums, monuments, and other public settings. To date, research in this area has chiefly focused upon questions of remembrance and commemoration, leaving related questions about the relationship between the history of slavery and national education programmes largely unexplored. In both France (2001) and Britain (2007) the history of slavery has been made a compulsory part of national curriculums, yet there is currently little information available on how these reforms have been
reflected in actual classrooms. In many other countries , the history of slavery and abolition rarely features in educational programmes at all. By giving pride of place to the way in which the history of slavery and abolition has recently been taught (or not taught) in different countries, the papers in this panel will offer new insights and information on linkages between historical research, public education, and popular attitudes towards the past.

Our primary goals are:

i) to assess the impact of recent projects, such as the UNESCO Slave Route, to educate various audiences about the history of slavery and abolition; ii) to examine the impact (or lack thereof) of recent research upon educational policies in various European, American, African and Asian countries; iii) to identify dominant teaching approaches to slavery and abolition and their impact on the construction of national memory, public opinion, and collective identity; iv) to identify variations in the way in which the history of slavery and
abolition has been taught in different countries; v) to explore the relationship between education, remembrance, and commemoration.

Paper proposals may address these issues by looking at national curricula, textbooks and educational materials, undergraduate and graduate course guides, and (especially) actual classroom settings.
Paper proposals deadline: 8th February 2010

Please send paper proposals to:
j.quirk@hull.ac.uk or f.ribeiro-da-silva@hull.ac.uk

Paper proposals guidelines:

Language: English
Paper title (max. 20 words)
Paper Abstract (max. 300 words)
Biographical paragraph (max. 250 words)
Correct mailing and e-mail address
Audiovisual, if any

Observations:

Please keep in mind that

1. paper abstracts of accepted proposals will be posted online on the Conference website.
2. According to the guidelines issued by the AHA organising committee, participants may present only at one panel.

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Dr. Filipa Ribeiro da Silva
Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation
University of Hull
Oriel Chambers
27 High Street
Hull, HU1 1NE
UK

F.Ribeiro-da-Silva@hull.ac.uk
Tel. +44.1482.305186
Fax +44.1482.305184
http://www2.hull.ac.uk/FASS/wise/people/academic/dr_filipa_ribeiro_da_silva.aspx