In an increasing multicultural society, the stories we tell of the past can bring us together or push us further apart. Through travel and tourism we encounter new cultures and perspectives on such stories of the past in certain places. The stories of slavery as told through slavery heritage tourism, is not merely ready-made but actively produced being open to misunderstanding and contestations. However, little is known about the cultural work of tourism in producing slavery heritage spaces and how it contributes to the ensuing transformations of contested narratives about the past.
This lecture focuses on the diverse forms of tourism practices and performances at slavery heritage sites across different geographical locations: Elmina Castle in Ghana, Gorée Island in Senegal, Liverpool Slavery Trail, Bristol Transatlantic Slavery Walk, Slavery & the City Walk in London, Black Heritage Tours in Amsterdam, Black Pioneers Tour in the Hague, Plantation Tours in the US and Plantation Tours in the Caribbean among other places.
The lecture starts from developing the conceptual notion of the embodied absence of the past to refer to the physical presence but narrative absence of the shared history and role of people of African descent in European societies. The aim is to illustrate the cultural work of slavery heritage tourism in making visible and challenging this embodied absence of the past. A key aim of this lecture is therefore to highlight the transformative potential of tourism in stimulating remembrance and dialogue about the effects of slavery in contemporary societies.
We are delighted to invite you to attend ‘Geographies of slavery heritage tourism: places of remembrance and dialogue’ by Dr. Emmanuel Akwasi Adu-Ampong, Assistant Professor in Cultural Geography Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands focused on How do the practices and performances of slavery heritage tourism across places provide new narratives about slavery’s past and present?
Following the talk will be an opportunity for Q&A with the audience.
Online event details
Date: Wednesday 14 October 2020
Time: 16:00-17:00 BST
Location: This webinar series is hosted online, a link with joining instructions will be sent within the confirmation of registration email.
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