Recorded Lectures

On their terms: black women subverting the plantation economy in the Caribbean

Presented by Dr Peggy Brunache

This paper draws on a Black feminist lens to read against the silencing violence of the slavery archives and reveal a dynamic (if sometimes controversial) and creolizing process of identity formation of free and enslaved Black women who, through resistance and/or accommodation, subverted the socio-political structures of colonial power and negotiated their place in the plantation economies of the Caribbean. Peggy incorporates archival and archaeological methods alongside intersectional theory to reveal an alternative narrative of Atlantic enslaved and free communities.

Dr Peggy Brunache is a lecturer in Public History and Archaeology at the University of Glasgow and the founding Director of the Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies. As an historical archaeologist, she has excavated sites in West Africa, Caribbean, and the United States. Many of her public-facing projects include designing MOOCS or Massive Open Online Courses, and working with theatres, science and culture festivals. Her international media appearances include the Discovery Science Channel, BBCTV, ITV, and documentaries in the US and Germany.

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