The Unnatural Trade | Naturalists and the Slave Trade

Linnean Society of London

How did late 18th C British abolitionists assess the slave trade & British colonial slavery as unnatural, a "dread perversion" of nature?

The Linnean Society of London

From January 2025, our new ticketing structure has come into effect for in-person attendees. We’re grateful for attendees’ contributions, which allow us to keep supporting nature in schools, in the field and on our shelves.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How did late eighteenth-century British abolitionists come to view the slave trade and British colonial slavery as unnatural, a "dread perversion" of nature? In this talk, Brycchan Carey shows that before the mid-eighteenth century, natural histories by naturalists such as Richard Ligon, Hans Sloane, and Griffith Hughes were a primary source of information about slavery for British and colonial readers. They were often ambivalent toward slavery, but they increasingly adopted a proslavery stance to accommodate the needs of colonists by representing slavery as a "natural" phenomenon. From the mid-eighteenth century onwards, abolitionists such as Anthony Benezet, Thomas Clarkson, and Olaudah Equiano discovered and adapted these natural histories and many naturalists became associated with the antislavery movement. By the end of the eighteenth-century, Carey shows, abolitionists had built a compelling case that slavery was unnatural and should be abolished, but in so doing they inadvertently encouraged the exploitation of African and Caribbean natural resources instead.<a href="https://www.brycchancarey.com/" title="https://www.brycchancarey.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Brycchan Carey </a>is the Wolfson Professor of Literature, Culture, and History at Northumbria University. He is the author of numerous books and articles on topics such as slavery, abolition, animal studies, and natural history, including his most recent book, The Unnatural Trade: Slavery, Abolition, and Environmental Writing, 1650-1807, from which this talk is taken.---------------------------------------------------------ConcessionsPlease buy the concession ticket if you are any of the below:⁃ 65 years of age, or over⁃ Under 26 years of age⁃ Currently in receipt of UK government benefit (including, but not limited to, Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, and Universal Credit).⁃ Currently in full-time education.-----------------------------------------------------------This is an in-person event at the Linnean Society of London on Piccadilly, London, only. There will be a recording, which will be uploaded to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/linneansociety" title="https://www.youtube.com/linneansociety" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">YouTube channel </a>later.If you'd like to stay updated about our events programme, and other news,<a href="https://linnean.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2783644d4aace7ae0b6516fe5&amp;id=965126d9ab" title="https://linnean.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2783644d4aace7ae0b6516fe5&amp;id=965126d9ab" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> please subscribe to our monthly newsletter here.</a><a href="https://ca1-tls.edcdn.com/Events-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf" title="https://ca1-tls.edcdn.com/Events-Terms-and-Conditions.pdf" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Terms and Conditions.</a>

The Unnatural Trade | Naturalists and the Slave Trade

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The Unnatural Trade | Naturalists and the Slave Trade

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