Master of Arts International Slavery Studies

The University of Liverpool offers one of the few programmes in the world that allows students to study slavery and unfree labour in a wide variety of past and present contexts. The redesigned programme addresses a growing interest, nationally and internationally, in the histories and afterlives of transatlantic slavery, including questions of activism, resistance and protest. The MA also provides for the increasing numbers of students who seek to study modern slavery in terms of its relationship to migration, human rights and other forms of unfree labour.

The programme proposes two pathways in historical and modern slavery. Seminars, research and tutorials will range broadly, challenging students to analyze historical forms of slavery, to critique modern responses to human trafficking, to evaluate the legacies and memorialization of slavery in contemporary society, and to apply critical and literary theories to representations of slavery. Drawing expertise from researchers across the institution, students will benefit from our unique relationship with the International Slavery Museum.

Students will work with the Museum’s staff to study the commemoration and memorialization of slavery, while the broader MA programme is a flagship activity for the Centre for the Study of International Slavery – a long-standing venture between the Museum and the University. As members of the Centre, students will meet the international speakers in a seminar series and at Liverpool's conferences, presenting cutting edge research for criticism and debate.