Liverpool centre dedicated to studying international slavery celebrates 20th anniversary

Liverpool’s Centre for the Study of International Slavery (CSIS) marks its 20^th anniversary throughout 2026, with the first of two public lectures taking place next week (5^th May) at the University of Liverpool.

A collaboration between the University, National Museums Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum and partners across the globe, since 2006 the Centre has built a powerful international network dedicated to understanding slavery in many forms.

Exploring the global history of slavery

The work of the Centre advances research locally, nationally, and internationally. Collaborating with researchers across continents, CSIS connects museum practitioners, academics and leading thinkers from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Australia and the Americas to share insights, spark debate, and push the conversation forward.

This research fuels public talks, community events, school programmes, and museum exhibitions that challenge, provoke, and inspire.By working with heritage professionals at the International Slavery Museum, academics at the University of Liverpool, and the wider Liverpool research community, the Centre gains a unique, multifaceted view of the importance of this work.

It helps identify where action is needed and how collaboration can advance this history in ways that contribute to reparative justice work at home and abroad.

CSIS remains a hub for many influential projects dedicated to questioning how research into these topics is done, advancing critical areas of inquiry, engaging more deeply with sources, and bringing forward stories and voices that have often been pushed to the margins of history or contemporary academia.

Modern slavery

As well as historic slavery research, CSIS is at the forefront of research on the political and legal questions surrounding novel forms of labour exploitation. Recent years have seen the international community pay increasing attention to the development of new forms of unfree labour.

At Liverpool, scholars are particularly interested in the role of the state, and legislation such as the UK Government’s 2015 Modern Slavery Act, in shaping responses to contemporary forms of human bondage.

Exploring commemoration of slavery

Scholars at the University have also explored the commemoration of slavery around the globe. This involves identifying and researching the many museums, exhibitions, sites and memorials that focus on slavery to explore how the story of enslaved people is told, what is foregrounded and what is left out.

CSIS members have also contributed to museum exhibitions at Tate Liverpool, as well as the International Slavery Museum and other public history ventures.

Duo of annual lectures to mark two decades of research excellence

To celebrate twenty years of research into the history and ongoing practices of slavery and unfree labour, this year CSIS will host two annual lectures capturing the unique impact of this partnership.

The first will take place on May 5^th, 2026 – Rising from the Fires of Slavery: How Music, Memory and a Mixed Identity Forged my Power and Purpose with Dr Ashleigh Nugent. Ashleigh is an author, performer, therapist and Founder/CEO of RiseUp, a charity that works with prisons, schools, the long-term unemployed and those at risk of offending within the wider community.

Rising from the Fires of Slavery is a reflection on historic slavery and its lasting impacts through the lens of one man’s experiences, and how strength and purpose can grow from conflict and turmoil.

In November 2026, CSIS is honoured to host Professor Herns Marcelin, Professor of Social Sciences, University of Miami, and Chancellor, Interuniversity Institute for Research and Development (INURED) in Haiti. Professor Marcelin is currently a Visiting Leverhulme Professor at Cambridge, working with former CSIS Honorary Professor and former Co-Director, Professor Charles Forsdick.

Michelle Charters OBE, Head of the International Slavery Museum, said:

“As we recognise and celebrate this key longstanding partnership and work between the University of Liverpool and the International Slavery Museum in its 20^th anniversary year, we would like to thank all individuals, institutions, partners, and collaborators who have contributed over the last two decades to ensure the ongoing uncovering of the truth of transatlantic slavery.

“The past should never be forgotten.”

Dr Mary Booth, CSIS Centre Manager, said:

“This year marks 20 Years of Research Excellence led by the Centre for the Study of International Slavery, a unique and thriving partnership centring the intersection of historic research, memory, legacies, and heritage.

“To mark this milestone, we are hosting a series of programmes, workshops, and consultations as we celebrate and critically reflect on the past two decades to help inform the next.

“We thank you all for being part of this ongoing conversation.”

Dr Richard Benjamin, Senior Lecturer, Contemporary Museum Practice at the University of Liverpool, said:

“CSIS brings together a community of researchers, curators, and educators who are leading and reshaping slavery related studies—its histories, its legacies, and the injustices that persist today.

“And where better to do it than Liverpool—a city whose past and present make it a crucial crossroads for this work?”