Historicising and reconnecting rural community: black presences and the legacies of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain, c.1600-1939

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The conventional image of the English country house is one of luxury and splendour and forms part of a wider rural idyll central to ideas of British identity and rural community. This project aims to unpack such conventions by reviewing evidence from a range of sources and disciplines of the historical impacts of slavery and colonialism on the British countryside, including evidence on black lives and their integration into rural society. It also seeks to examine the social dynamics surrounding the production and reception of such histories and to develop further opportunities for engagement with them. Collective notions of identity, expressed as community, are important frames for both rural and black groups. However, as appeals to community can be used to separate as well as connect people this project aims to understand how the term is used in historical and contemporary contexts and the material effects of its deployment. Knowledge of these historical presences, connections and legacies in rural Britain is patchy, and sites in the eastern part of the country have been especially neglected.There are three main elements to the project. Firstly a review of academic, agency and third sector literature on: a) histories both of black and ethnic minority presences and of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain, c.1600-1939; and b) recent public heritage initiatives. Secondly archival scoping to create a summary database of collections relating to black and ethnic minority presence and the histories of slavery and colonialism in the rural East Midlands and East Anglia, c.1600-1939, identifying any related public heritage work in these regions today. Thirdly a series of four workshops to bring together academics, heritage and museum professionals, local authority heritage/outreach officials, 'community' group representatives and wider publics to exchange information and reflect on the issues surrounding the public representation of such histories. This would involve the challenges of repositioning conventionally powerful groups, including those whose histories offer contrasting philanthropic and enslavement narratives, as well as the presentation of subaltern stories in ways which can be integrated into heritage sites in a practical way. An advisory group comprised of academic, agency and third sector representatives will provide expert advice throughout the duration of the project. These activities will enable more reflective and contextualised collaborative relationships between academics, heritage organisations and diverse publics over histories and legacies of slavery and colonialism in rural Britain.