The debate over the slave trade was one of the key issues of the Enlightenment and was closely linked to debates about freedom and despotism in Europe itself. This unit follows changing ideas about slavery and freedom from the mid eighteenth century into the French Revolution and through to the rule of Napoleon. It will use case studies to explore the intellectual and social conflicts of the period and the way European society, culture, and politics were changing. Students will choose their group presentations from a range of topics linked to religious, political, scientific and literary debates and conflicts of the period. -- Course Website
Instructor: Professor David Garrioch
Prerequisites: A first year sequence in History or permission
