Book Launch: The University of Cambridge in the Age of Atlantic Slavery

When: Tuesday 18th November, 5:15pm (followed by a drinks reception) 

Where: The Lecture Theatre at Trinity Hall College, Cambridge, CB2 1TJ. 

 Dr Nicolas Bell-Romero will present his new book, published by Cambridge University Press, which offers a powerful and deeply researched history of the University of Cambridge’s entanglements with Atlantic slavery.  

 Moving beyond traditional narratives that focus on economic ties or major slave-trading ports like Liverpool and Bristol, Bell-Romero uncovers the wide-ranging connections between Cambridge and Britain’s slave empire—from the early days of North American colonisation to the end of the American Civil War. 

 Through the lives of students, alumni, fellows, professors, and benefactors, the book reveals how slavery permeated the university’s dining halls, debating societies, scientific circles, and political networks. These stories illuminate how slavery was not a peripheral issue, but a central feature of Cambridge’s social, cultural, and intellectual life. 

 Praised by leading scholars of colonial history—including Professor Corinne Fowler and Dr Natalie Zacek—as a “nuanced” and “important” contribution to British academic history. 

Free event – all welcome!