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Shattering the myth

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Venue: Online

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Michael Taylor will be discussing his new book The Interest: How the British establishment Resisted the Abolition of Slavery (Bodley Head, 2020). Join the Birkbeck Postgraduate Reading Group for this session in the Discover the Past series, 2021.

Through his exploration of the years between the foundation of the Anti-Slavery Society in 1823 and the passing of the Slavery Abolition act in 1833, Taylor dismisses the national myth which has held that Britain led the way in fighting for the eradication of slavery. He demonstrates just how deeply embedded the practice was in the British Empire and how calls for its abolition in the West Indian and South American colonies were resisted. A powerful commercial, parliamentary, judicial and religious pro-slavery lobby known as the 'West Indian Interest' fought for the system's retention, as did wider public opinion which deemed slavery necessary and acceptable.

Michael Taylor is an historian of colonial slavery, the British Empire and the British Isles. His PhD which was the first detailed history of the ideas and activities of the British pro-slavery lobby forms the research basis of this book.

*Attendees should read the book before coming to the event.*

The event is free but booking is essential so that we can contact you with the joining link. 

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This event is part of the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology's Discover the Past events series, open to the public and students. To see the full list of events, visit the Discover the Past web page.

The Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck has a distinguished tradition as an international centre of excellence. We are the only university department in London to include archaeologists, classicists and historians investigating every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. Join us to discover the past and engage with the present across continents and cultures.

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