“Museums and Slavery: Engaging the Past and the Present in the Public Sphere”

“Museums and Slavery: Engaging the Past and the Present in the Public Sphere”
Oct. 24, 4 p.m.
Smathers Library 100

Ana-Lucia Araujo, professor of History at Howard University, will present “Museums and Slavery: Engaging the Past and the Present in the Public Sphere.” This lecture will explore the development of permanent exhibitions and museums dedicated in part or entirely to address the problem of slavery and the Atlantic slave trade in England, France and the United States, by examining the cases of the Nantes History Museum, Museum of Aquitaine, the International Slavery Museum, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The event is part of the UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere’s 2019–20 Speaker Series, “Rethinking the Public Sphere Part I: Race and the Promise of Participation.” This multi-year series responds to current challenges to rational public debate. Speakers from different humanities disciplines shed light on institutions that define public life. The 2019–20 Speaker Series highlights the demand for racial equality in the international and historical contexts of the public sphere. This year’s talks focus on different case studies, such as how museums deal with collective memories of past atrocities. They demonstrate how philosophy and poetry contribute to our moral imagination of racial equality, and they analyze personal memoirs of past struggles for the right to vote. Over the course of two semesters, speakers will deepen our understanding of public discussion and move us beyond current impasses.