An appeal to supersede the slave trade triangle in English museums

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 2007 several permanent museum galleries were created in England that discuss the subject of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery. This article critiques one recurring image within many of these sites: the diagrams of the slave trade triangle. Drawing on analyses of the slave trade by historians, from Eric Williams to recent contributions, as well as understanding of the behaviour of museum visitors, it appeals to museums for more complex diagrams to be included in future installations at public history sites. Methodologically, close analysis of current museum installations frames exploration of the historical complexities and geographic expanse of enslavement-associated commerce, a term coined within the article. Future diagrams reflecting these complications will more accurately represent historical scholarship and the importance of enslaved labour to global commerce, rather than understating this by focusing solely on the slave trade triangle.