Public History in Digital Spaces: Public Interpretations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Implications for History Teaching

Abstract

The Transatlantic Slave Trade was one of the cruelest events in human history, with its effects spanning several centuries. Slave monuments are visible representations of the memory of the slave trade and avenues for public discourse about the event and its impacts. This study draws on YouTube videos commemorating the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Ghana, examining not only the content of the videos but also the comments that YouTube users made on the videos. Based on the videos and comments, we analyze public sentiments, interpretations, and reconstruction of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This study finds that social media presents opportunities to intensify public discourses about the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Public interpretations of the event convey a sense of optimism, forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope for a better and fairer world. Implications for the teaching of difficult histories in schools are discussed.