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British abolitionism and global empire in the late 18th century: A historiographic overview
Author(s) -
WymanMcCarthy Matthew
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
history compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.121
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1478-0542
DOI - 10.1111/hic3.12480
Subject(s) - historiography , abolitionism , empire , opposition (politics) , british empire , history , atlantic world , perspective (graphical) , long nineteenth century , world history , ancient history , political science , law , archaeology , art , politics , visual arts
Why did widespread opposition to the African slave trade first emerge in Britain in the late 1780s? This question has been one of the most contested in British imperial historiography for generations. The first half of this article examines various answers that scholars have posited, highlighting in particular their broadening frames of reference. The second half looks at recent works on other aspects of Britain's late 18th‐century empire that are breaking down traditional historiographic divisions, especially between the British Atlantic and British India. This research is demonstrating just how interconnected the British world was during the age of revolutions, and is simultaneously offering new ideas and methodologies for studying British antislavery from a global perspective.