About this Event:
The killing of George Floyd has sparked a multitude of racial justice movements across the globe which has found expression in the revived Black Lives Matter movement.
The movement has reignited the issue of Britain’s historical legacies of slavery, colonialism and imperialism and has been subject to much debate and reflective comment in popular media.
In this event, the Sub Sahara Advisory Panel (SSAP) and historian David Olusoga will discuss how this period in British and Welsh history has been considered, what kind of collective memory has developed, and the impact of such memories on framing our national identity and constructing a distorted and incomplete national story. As statues are labelled controversial and public monuments are being removed: it is clear that Britons are deconstructing and reconstructing national stories.
As Britain and Wales continue to reckon with a dark and painful past, this event will debate the proper way in which it should be represented and commemorated. This raises serious questions regarding the role of historical and cultural institutions and how they can be both creative and oppressive social forces; the people and voices who have been commonly excluded; and the possibility of inclusivity and diversity in the retelling of British and Welsh history.
As new and old expressions of national identity dominate the public imagination and Britain faces another period of uncertainty regarding its meaning: this event will reflect on how Britain and Wales are remaking themselves once again and ask whether if, in its remaking, a new and appropriate national narrative, identity and culture will emerge.
Important Information:
The event will take place via zoom. More information on joining the zoom webinar will be available prior to the event.
Tickets are limited and will need to be booked in advance.
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David Olusoga is a British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster and film-maker.
His most recent TV series include Empire (BBC 2), Black and British: A Forgotten History (BBC 2), The World’s War (BBC 2), 3 seasons of A House Through Time (BBC 2) and the BAFTA winning Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners (BBC 2).
David is also the author of Black & British: A Forgotten History which was awarded both the Longman-History Today Trustees Award and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize. His other books include The World’s War, which won First World War Book of the Year in 2015, The Kaiser’s Holocaust: Germany’s Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism and Civilizations: Encounters and the Cult of Progress.
David was also a contributor to the Oxford Companion to Black British History and writes for The Guardian and is a columnist for The Observer and BBC History Magazine. He is also one of the three presenters on the BBC's landmark Arts series Civilizations. David's latest book Black & British: A Short, Essential History, is in the current bestsellers list.
