People of African Descent in the 21st century: knowledge and cultural production in reluctant sites of memory

The proposed network will form part of the AHRC's activity as part of the UN International Decade for People of African Descent and will use a core arts and humanities research focus to explore issues of specific relevance to people of African descent and will involve engagement with and the participation of, researchers and communities of African descent.

Through a cross-disciplinary synthesis of sites of memory related to the history and experiences of people of African descent the network will explore specific settings in order to show how they reluctantly tell the story of the legacies of colonial encounters between people of Africa, Asia and Europe and how they provide examples of active participation of people of African descent in shaping societies they were forcibly moved to. This network will illuminate the mechanisms of cultural production at work in these various sites of memory through a series of workshops including creative performance and a conference. It will involve the participation of researchers and artistic practitioners of African descent and community groups of African descent.

Bringing together an international network of academic and community participants and crossing the boundaries of disciplines will afford the opportunity to present a more holistic view and analysis of histories that are relevant to people of African descent. This network proposes to extend the notion of sites of memory to the idea of "reluctant sites of memory" that present a variety of micro histories regarding the experiences of people of African descent. The polysemic term "reluctant sites of memory" was chosen to emphasise that "reluctance" evokes degrees of resistance from both minority groups and majority communities.

We will examine a number of reluctant sites of memory including comparison with international locations such as African-Canadian historic sites. Little has been written about the links between South-East England and South Wales and people of African descent. However, Cardiff is home to Tiger Bay one of the oldest multicultural areas in Britain and Fairfield House in Bath is a crucial stop for visitors interested in the history of people of African descent. The very purpose of the network is to shed light on sites of reluctant memory and this network will reach beyond academia to work with communities to explore connections between Afro-descents, the history of involvement in the transatlantic slavery, Black presence in South-East England and South Wales and colonial legacies.

The very purpose of the network is to shed light on reluctant sites of memory and this network will reach beyond academia to work with communities to explore connections between Afro-descents, the history of involvement in the transatlantic slavery, Black presence in South-East England and South Wales and colonial legacies. The key groups upon which this network will impact are: communities of African descent; heritage and cultural sites and their visitors; and professional practitioners.

Partnering with SEWREC will provide the network with strong links to schools, local agencies and community groups to participate in the workshops. Castejon & Al (2014), drawing on the work of historians Nora and Aguihon, showed how declaring, even narrating one's story instead of having one's story told by another empowers individuals and communities. Through the workshops the network intends to empower those directly participating to share their stories and to reflect upon, and challenge, the ways in which the history of people of African descent are represented in Western Europe.

The network will not only impact upon the perception of the history of people of African descent by those groups themselves but also by other broader groups. By working with heritage and cultural sites such as Fairfield House, which is of interest to a variety of individuals and communities including those drawn in by an interest in Ethiopia's role in the advent of World War 2 or by the Tafari Art Gallery, which is based at Fairfield House, the network's findings and outputs will also contribute to the way that they present this history to their wider constituency of visitors.

The network and its findings can be used to further the understanding of reluctant sites of memory and the history of people of African descent in the UK, including through the use of international collaboration and comparison. Through involvement of and dissemination to professionals from charitable organisations such as Gwent Multi-Ethnic Education Service, the network can increase knowledge and capacity for advocacy amongst educational practitioners with regards to the school curriculum in England and Wales, and the representation and inclusion of the history of minority groups and their role in and interaction with broader national histories and identities.