During the last few centuries, a global attitude of racial hierarchy developed to justify the abhorrent actions of Western Nations in perpetuating imperial power, processes of colonialism, and the enslavement of millions of people. These attitudes had, and continue to have, an influence on all areas of life here in Scotland. However, for many years, a culture of ‘collective amnesia’ has developed that has allowed people to distance themselves from their involvement in these systems.

Yet people of African, Caribbean, and Asian descent in Scotland have lived experiences that developed within specific historical contexts linked to empire, transatlantic slavery, colonialism, and migration, each of which have an extensive impact on Scotland’s economic, demographic, environmental, cultural and social development. In the present day, the histories of these communities are not acknowledged and represented as well as they could be within history, heritage, arts and culture work in Scotland.

Thus, after a decade of work researching and campaigning for the recognition of Scotland’s participation in networks of empire and processes of colonialism, we are pleased to announce the next phase of this project: establishing a dedicated space committed to exploring Scotland's role in empire and how this continues to shape society today.
This work will deepen the understanding and appreciation of Scottish history, particularly its global history. It aims to:

• challenge dominant discourses by bringing alternative and marginalised voices into the conversation
• highlight how Scotland’s colonial history continues to impact and shape modern society
• reimagine, develop, and co-produce an innovative space that widens access to the heritage, arts, and culture sector.

We endeavour to develop a space that challenges imperial, colonial, and capitalist structures, and doing so requires a two-fold approach that works both internally and externally:

• Internally: we are developing modes of working that put people first. We see work as a collaborative process, and aim to adapt strategies that allow us to be creative, agile, and responsive to evolving attitudes and perspectives on historical processes and narratives.
• Externally: we aim to use co-production to offer a platform for local communities to share their own stories and lived experiences. We hope to empower local communities to define and interpret their own narratives of the legacies of colonialism and imperialism.

Our goal is to develop equitable and accessible practices to innovate a community-driven space that counters the power structures existing in contemporary museum spaces. We want to involve the community in developing a space that is for the people by the people.

We know this is a long road and that the journey is more important than the destination. We recognise the need to be patient, creative and willing to fail. Through co-production we hope to build a fairer organisation were everyone is welcomed warmly and empowered by their own histories. We are committed to working with communities to make this vision a reality.

A Work In Progress

As a result of successful grassroots campaigning for Scotland to attest to its involvement in empire, processes of colonialism, and historic slavery, the Scottish Parliament passed a motion to establish the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums Steering Group (ESSM). ESSM then undertook independent research and nation-wide consultations which ultimately showed that there was mistrust of the museum sector, which either mis-represented or did not represent at all, the histories of formerly colonised peoples. Further, the sector felt inaccessible and exclusive to a large portion of Scottish communities. These concerns informed the six recommendations that ESSM submitted to the Scottish government to address and correct how imperial structures and practices continue to be perpetuated in the museum sector. Read more about the recommendations here: https://www.gov.scot/news/empire-slavery-and-scotlands-museums/.

Recommendation one, to create a dedicated space to explore Scotland’s colonial history, builds upon the work done here at empiremuseum.scot. To date, we have hired two staff members to lead on this project and to progress work on creating this new space. Our Co-Lead Coordinators will work closely with communities, academics, educators, and grassroots organisations to develop our organisation’s vision, strategy, and outputs.

In 2016 the United Nations Committee for the Elimination for Racial Discrimination expressed concern at the lack of balance in educating Scottish society about the history of the British Empire and colonialism and recommended that there should be a balanced account of the history of empire and colonialism, including slavery and other grave human rights violations within education.

Our mission is to provide a space that is guided by people who bring the right mixture of authenticity, expertise and experience. We aim to collaborate with the public, historians and activists to allow for curiosity and reflection. It is essential from early years onwards people have the chance to explore Scotland’s history in a truthful and representative way. A better understanding is needed of the history of empire, colonialism, slavery and migration so we can learn from the past to understand the present and agitate for change in the world we want to live in in the future.