News

Difficulties and dangers: researching legacies of enslavement in a post-abolition women’s college, five years on.  By Toyin Akinkunmi and Tiger Chan. This piece reflects the research experiences and perspectives of the authors, who contributed to  Newnham College’s investigation into its financial and social legacies of enslavement as student resea…

Samuel Pepys carefully curated evidence of his links to slavery. A new study reveals how and why.Read the full story on the main University website.

Magdalene College has released interim reports on its ongoing research into the College’s historical links to enslavement, including archival investigation, material culture analysis and wider efforts to understand and acknowledge its colonial past.Read the full piece on the Magdalene College website.

The George Bridgetower Essay Competition invites submissions from students exploring themes connected to Black history, culture, and creativity. The prize encourages thoughtful engagement with the life and legacy of George Bridgetower, the celebrated Afro‑Polish composer and violinist, and supports new scholarship that broadens understanding of Bla…

By Seetha Tan PhD candidate in Sociology. This post is part of Exploring Legacies of Enslavement: a research series, highlighting ongoing research on the legacies of enslavement. 

by Dr Dacia Viejo Rose, Prof Pedro Ramos Pinto and Dr Trish Biers.This report first appeared in the Cambridge Heritage Research Centre bulletin.

Students from across Africa are studying at the Department of Engineering thanks to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at the University of Cambridge.  Read the full item on the Department of Engineering's website. 

Girton College invites student entries for the William Dusinberre Prize. The annual prize supports and recognises student research on the legacies and practices of enslavement, encouraging thoughtful, critically engaged work that brings hidden histories into view and connects them to contemporary concerns. Closing date: 29 April 2026 More informati…

Anthropologist Caroline Bazambanza examines how Black women make sense of racial inequality in maternity care – and why their knowledge is too often ignored.Read the full story on the Department of Social Anthropology's website.

Magdalene College invites undergraduate students at the University to submit entries for the annual Peter Peckard Memorial Prize.Brief: Submit an essay or equivalent piece of work examining an egregious form of human exploitation in the world today and the actions needed to eliminate it.Closing date: 10 July 2026More information is available on the…

The Fitzwilliam Museum’s Bound Together: Leather From Northern Nigeria display closed in February after extensive engagement, including curator‑led tours and hands‑on workshops with historic Nigerian goatskins. The project highlighted African expertise, craft traditions, and collaborative research on West African collections, offering rich insights…

By Dr Lamin Manneh, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow (Faculty of History).  This post is part of Exploring Legacies of Enslavement: a research series, highlighting ongoing research on the legacies of enslavement. 

The Cambridge Festival, two weeks of talks, films exhibitions and other events returns this year in sites across the city between 16 March and 2 April.We would like to highlight a number of events that may be of interest to members of the Legacies Network, but the full programme is available on the Festival’s website.On Friday 20 March, Wolfson Col…

The opening event of Celebrating Black Minds, held at the Fitzwilliam Museum on 29 January 2026, marked the launch of a year-long programme dedicated to celebrating and amplifying the intellectual, cultural and civic contributions of Black scholars at the University of Cambridge.The evening brought together students, academics, cultural practitione…

As Black History Month draws to a close in the United States, Scholars Ola Osman and Andrea Loucil reflect on the enduring impact of slavery in the Caribbean and Africa. Read the full article on the Gates Cambridge website.