Cait Gillespie's study

Simple but subversive

Cait Gillespie's master's thesis The end of amnesia? Scotland's response to the 2007 bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade and the quest for social justice can be read online at Leiden University Repository. Cait considers Scotland's response to the 2007 bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, in the context of memory and museum studies, and includes a detailed study of Cromarty Courthouse Museum's 'Slaves & Highlanders' exhibition of 2007/08.

From Cait's conclusions: 'The impact and originality of Alston's seemingly simple but subversive exhibition, [Stephen] Mullen's commitment to furthering public knowledge of Glasgow's slavery-funded cityscape through walks and talks, and the success of the website created by [Katherine] Prior for Aberdeen City Council . . . reveal high quality pieces of work that engage with public audiences in diverse and important ways . . . The onus now lies on Scotland's major national institutions to follow suit and bring forth new creative responses.'

For an archive of UK-wide projects marking the bicentenary in 2007 see Antislavery Useable Past: Remembering 1807