Founded as a partnership between the University of Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool, the Centre works together with other universities and organisations to develop scholarly and public activities related to slavery in its historical and contemporary manifestations.
Today, the city’s International Slavery Museum (ISM) serves as a starting point for different forms of engagement with slavery and abolition across time and space.
Currently, ISM is closed to undergo a substantial transformation as part of the Waterfront Transformation Project. With funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund - Heritage Horizon Awards, the Dr Martin Luther King Jr building (Old Dock traffic office) will become the new entrance to the museum. This will mark the start of a journey as visitors discover the history of Liverpool’s waterfront and the city's role in transatlantic slavery.
The transformation will spark and inform change nationally and internationally through a programme of academic rigour, debate, and sharing. Exploring themes around historic slavery, human rights, racism, and discrimination, this funding will have an impact beyond the International Slavery Museum in supporting National Museums Liverpool to incorporate Black History and the legacies of slavery into all our venues.
Creating new and much-needed exhibition spaces with places for people to connect, reflect and discover, the project will set the foundations for the integration of Black heritage across all of our venues. The Centre for the Study of International Slavery is proud to support and contribute to the research development and transformation of the International Slavery Museum and National Museums Liverpool.
Mission Statement
We aim to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and opinions between scholars based in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and North and South America. The Centre will facilitate access to rich archival (link) and material collections, while offering a strong focus on questions of culture and heritage.
While the Centre’s primary focus will be on scholarly research, this activity is designed to contribute to learning and outreach programmes and events for local communities, schools, volunteers, lifelong learners, and the general public. The activities raise awareness of the persistence of slavery and means of its eradication, as well as encourage debate about attitudes towards freedom, race, ethnicity, tolerance, respect, and citizenship.
To achieve its aims, the Centre will organise interdisciplinary academic conferences, seminars and workshops and will network with other research institutions and scholars across the Globe.