The project is led by a consortium of universities and institutions, including the University of the West Indies, Harvard University, and the National Museum of African American History & Culture at the Smithsonian Institution. They all manage and operate a database which has played an integral role in broadening access to archival materials – including ship registers, sales ledgers and recorded names of freed African people, among many other documents – relating to the traffic. Today, the SlaveVoyages database is the world’s largest online repository of records on the slave trade.
The University of Glasgow sees membership of SlaveVoyages as an important step in developing research and teaching capacity in the fields of slavery and reparative justice, resulting from its groundbreaking 2018 report on historical links with slavery.
This partnership reflects our commitment to understanding our history, supporting rigorous research, and fostering informed dialogue. It will not only advance our scholarship but also strengthen our engagement with communities and educational institutions across Scotland, allowing us to share this vital history with broader audiences”, said Professor Jo Gill, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Arts & Humanities at the University of Glasgow.
New perspectives and data about Scottish involvement in slavery
The University of Glasgow will be represented on SlaveVoyage’s steering committee by Dr Shantel George, a Lecturer in Transatlantic Slavery. His research draws extensively on SlaveVoyages to understand the origins and development of African-derived cultures and identities in the British Caribbean, particularly within slavery and post-slavery Grenada.
I have long used this invaluable resource in my own research on the British Caribbean, and this partnership will enable us to contribute new perspectives and data about Scottish involvement in slavery. This collaboration will enhance both our research capabilities and our ability to share this crucial history with students and communities across Scotland and beyond”, said dr. George.
The University of Glasgow views consortium membership as an opportunity for capacity building in the field of Digital Humanities. Dr Jelmer Vos, Senior Lecturer in Global History and member of the operational committee, brings over two decades of experience with the project:
Having been involved with SlaveVoyages since 2001, I've witnessed its remarkable evolution from a research database to the world’s largest online repository of slave trade records. The University of Glasgow’s membership creates exciting new opportunities for expanding our understanding of Scottish and Dutch involvement in the slave trade, particularly in regions like Angola and the Ivory Coast”, explains Vos.
Scotland’s role in transatlantic slavery is an important focal point of research at Glasgow, emphasising the study of Scottish participation in the transatlantic slave trade as a valuable avenue for exploration. Membership of the SlaveVoyages consortium has been supported by The University of Glasgow’s Library.
Consortium membership allows the University of Glasgow’s College of Arts & Humanities to make SlaveVoyages an integral part of its research environment, building on the scholarship of historians Dr George, Dr Stephen Mullen, Dr Christine Whyte, and Dr Vos.
SlaveVoyages
The SlaveVoyages website is a collaborative digital initiative that compiles and makes publicly accessible records of the largest slave trades in history. Readers can search these records to learn about the broad origins and forced relocations of more than 12 million African people who were sent across the Atlantic in slave ships, and hundreds of thousands more who were trafficked within the Americas. Also, you can explore where they were taken, the numerous rebellions that occurred, the horrific loss of life during the voyages, the identities and nationalities of the perpetrators, and much more.
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