Challenges, sensitivities and language

The history of the slave trade is challenging to teach and has a number of related sensitivities.

Different people bring different perspectives to this history. It is not 'black history' but British history. But the historical research is incomplete and 'hidden histories' continue to emerge. It can seem negative and there is a need to focus on positive role models . This history shows the power of a subjugated people to retain their dignity and regain their human rights in the face of appalling adversity.

It is a contested history

The facts and figures are disputed by many; the written documentation usually reinforces a Eurocentric view of the past; the perspectives of the enslaved are often missing; and it is difficult to verify certain points of view. It is not living history, nor is it a closed chapter. The global African Diaspora is testament to its legacies today.

It raises strong emotions 

For many people the slave trade and slavery raise strong and sometimes conflicting emotions of anger, sadness, guilt and shame. It is rarely an empowering subject, and needs to be sensitively handled, especially in supporting pupils who feel personally affected by this past.

It should not be sensationalised

The horrors of the trade were real but need to be carefully presented so as not to over sensationalise this history (or disturb young people). Negative representations of brutality and suffering need to be balanced by positive representations of resistance and empowerment. Some pupils may respond inappropriately through immaturity or embarrassment. Encourage respect, and present the subject with gravitas.

It raises fundamental questions of humanity and identity

The question of how one group of people could do this to another is both shocking and unanswerable. For many people of African, African Caribbean and African European descent today the slave trade has robbed them of their detailed sense of lineage and heritage (they cannot trace their ancestors or place of origin). The past must be understood as being 'of its time'. It raises questions of ethical, economic, religious and social justification but these differ from values in the 21st century.

It reinforced and promulgated racism

The subjugation of one people by another on the basis of skin colour established the foundations for institutional racism across the world today. The slave trade was developed from an economic not a racist stance. However stereotypes of white supremacy and black subordination have become engrained. The subject still polarises opinions, particularly where one group of people are in a minority. Consult your organisation's Anti-Racist Policy in advance for advice on dealing with potential racist attitudes that may arise in discussions when studying the transatlantic slave trade. Do not inadvertently attribute characteristics of the enslaved to pupils of African descent in the class.

Language to use

It is essential in the selection of source materials and the language used by teachers and pupils that 'African' does not come to equal 'enslaved'. It is important to refer to Africa prior to the period of the European slave trade - with its rich and complex civilisations. It is preferable to use the term enslaved African rather than slave to indicate enslavement was something done to African people, not a natural state.

Many people prefer the Swahili term Maagamizi rather than slave trade, which means to utterly destroy.

Racial terms such as 'negro', 'negress' and 'nigger' may arise in historical source material. Make it clear these are unacceptable terms to use today. Avoid using the word 'black' as a label for people and try and specifically refer to people of African descent or African American, African British etc.

Be explicit and refer to this period as the transatlantic slave trade, or as chattel slavery, to differentiate it from other forms of slavery that have existed throughout human history.

For further help and support see http://www.understandingslavery.com. Some of the current thinking on the use of appropriate language from an African perspective is expressed at http://www.ligali.org/terminology/terminology.php.

The Historical Association have produced a report on Teaching Emotive and Controversial History.