New Books in Critical Theory Renay Richardson and Arisa Loomba, "Human Resources: Slavery and the Making of Modern Britain" (Profile Books, 2025)
Jul 15, 2025
Renay Richardson, an author and podcaster dedicated to making history accessible, teams up with Arisa Loomba, a PhD candidate focusing on migration and imperial history. They discuss the unexpected legacies of slavery in everyday items like gym treadmills and denim jeans. The conversation dives into how influential figures in science relied on exploitive systems while highlighting biases in modern maternal health. Tying it all together, they expose the connections between prominent football clubs and the transatlantic slave trade, urging listeners to rethink history's hidden narratives.
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Colour's Role in Slavery History
- Colour is deeply linked to slavery through pigments, trade, and racial categorization.
- It served both as a control mechanism and a form of Afro-Caribbean resistance and identity.
Gunpowder and Cloth Enabled Slavery
- Gunpowder and cloth like linen and wool were critical to enabling and sustaining the slave trade.
- These industries involved many workers whose efforts indirectly supported slavery beyond the ports.
Great Men Exploited Slavery
- Famous men like Isaac Newton and Hans Sloane heavily relied on enslaved peoples and plantations for their scientific work.
- Their discoveries were not isolated acts but built on exploitation often ignored in traditional histories.