Jonathan Hearn

Edinburgh’s slavery review is strangely superficial

The statue of Robert Dundas is defaced in Edinburgh (photo: Getty)

A couple of days ago a colleague alerted me to the opening of an online public consultation regarding proposals made by the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review Group, a scheme launched by Edinburgh City Council in 2020 to look at ways the city can acknowledge its historical connections with slavery and colonialism in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

The public consultation will close in January, and aims to find ‘constructive ways’ that the people of Edinburgh can address the city’s involvement in the slave trade.

The Review Group list numerous sites in Edinburgh with various, and for the most part undeniable, associations with the reprehensible history of slavery. It then asks whether the sites listed are examples where these negative associations should be highlighted – and respondents are able to suggest other sites where the impact of slavery should be acknowledged.

The Review assumes that Edinburgh must somehow collectively atone for its sins

Also included in the consultation are some instances of places positively associated with the abolitionist cause and early black residents of Edinburgh, which are well worth noting. But what the consultation fails to do is ask what the purpose of the exercise is, how we should make sense of the historical legacy around us, or what the moral implications of such a legacy are. It simply assumes that Edinburgh must somehow collectively atone for its sins, and decide how far it is willing to go down this road.

I am all in favour of public discussion and academic debate about these issues, and I believe there is actually a wide knowledge and consensus about the evils of slavery and colonialism. Efforts to encourage people to think deeply about the history of their surroundings, including the ugly and morally troubling parts of those histories should be welcomed as well.

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