Wedderburn Academic Conference

2024 marks the 200 year anniversary of the publication of Robert Wedderburn’s antislavery memoir The Horrors of Slavery (1824). 

Robert's mother Rosanna was an enslaved woman on Jamaica; his father James was part of the Wedderburn family which played a significant role in the life of Dundee. We are therefore hosting a series of events to highlight Robert Wedderburn as a crucial figure in transatlantic radicalism, insurrectionism, and abolitionism, exploring not only his works and their importance but his broader social, political and cultural contexts. Beyond the individual, we will also explore the resonances of such themes in the 200 years since publication. 

We welcome members of the university community and wider public to be a part of the conferences’ two keynote addresses: 

Friday 27 September, 9:00 -11:00 

Robert Wedderburn and Black Radicalism. This keynote lecture from award-winning historian Professor Hakim Adi is a public-facing historical lecture which places Wedderburn in the historical context of 'Black Radicalism' in Britain. This will outline the significance of Robert in relation to key figures such as Olaudah Equiano, Catherine Despard, and William Davidson, amongst others. 

Book your place on Eventbrite for Professor Hakim Adis lecture

Saturday 28 September, 12:00-13:00 

Comrades of colour: making alliances to make change across the Black and Red Atlantic. This keynote lecture from award-winning journalist Professor Gary Younge is a public-facing lecture which considers the resonances of a figure like Wedderburn in the present day. Given Wedderburn's combination of anti-slavery and working-class activism the lecture will explore the meanings of making alliances.

Book your place on Eventbrite for Professor Gary Younge's lecture