Pioneering the History of Black Britain: A Conference in Honor of James Walvin Friday, November 12, 2010 Luce Hall Auditorium, 34 Hillhouse Avenue Yale University New Haven, Connecticut Co-sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Center, the Initiative on Race Gender and Globalization at Yale, the European Studies Council, the British Studies Program, and the Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund This one-day conference is held in honor of James Walvin, one of the great scholars of the Transatlantic slave trade, and a pioneer in the unearthing the history of Black Britain. Walvin's extensive career has included work at universities in Barbados, Australia, Britain, Africa, and here at Yale, where he has held various fellowships, including a recent one at the Yale Center for British Art. Additionally, Jim Walvin was the British government advisor for the abolition celebrations in 2007, and he has recently been instrumental in developing a collaborative seminar with the Gilder Lehrman Center for educators in the U.S. the U.K, and West Africa to explore the history of the Middle Passage. This conference will bring together scholars from across the U.S., Britain, and the Caribbean to celebrate Walvin's considerable work in the field. Friday, November 12 9:00 - 9:30 a.m. Coffee and Registration 9:30 - 9:45 a.m. Welcome Remarks David W. Blight, Yale University 9:45- 10:00 a.m. Conference Overview Hazel V. Carby, Yale University 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Panel 1: The Atlantic Slave Trade David Richardson, University of Hull "Individual lives and Meta-Narratives: Reflections on James Walvin's Writings on Transatlantic Slavery" Edward B. Rugemer, Yale University "English Merchants, the Guinea Trade, and the Beginnings of African Slavery in England's Empire" Stephanie Smallwood, University of Washington, Seattle Moderator: David W. Blight, Yale University 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. Lunch 1:15 - 3:15 p.m. Panel 2: The Diasporan Legacy of the Slave Trade Madge Dresser, University of the West of England Slavery and the British Country House: Researching the Legacy" (Abstract) Saidiya Hartman, Columbia University "N Folio" Gad Heuman, University of Warwick "Walvin in Jamaica: Worthy Park and Beyond" (Abstract) Moderator: Hazel V. Carby, Yale University 3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Coffee break 3:45 - 5:15 p.m. Panel 3: Race and Sport Ben Carrington, University of Texas, Austin "'One James Walvin, there's only one James Walvin': Notes on Race, Class and Football" Aviston Downes, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill "Teaching their White Masters to Play? The British, Sport, Race and the Civilizing Mission in the Caribbean" (Abstract) Response: James Walvin, University of York Moderator: Caryl Phillips, Yale University 5:15 - 5:30 p.m. Concluding Remarks David W. Blight, Yale University