LIAS Workshop: "Black Presence and Influence In Europe Before the Atlantic Slavery

The workshop brings together scholars working on Black diasporic histories across prehistoric, classical, and medieval Europe, with the aim of broadening the field by deepening research on early African–European entanglements before the Atlantic slavery. By drawing on rigorous empirical research and decolonial methodologies, it seeks to correct long-standing historiographical gaps that have marginalized these early interactions. In addition to paper presentations, the workshop features an interdisciplinary panel bringing together scholars, artists, activists, and practitioners engaged with the historiography of Black presence in Europe. This panel will reflect on the methodological, archival, and epistemic challenges of researching early Black histories and explore how these can be addressed through collaborative, artistic, and community-centred approaches. A key outcome of the workshop is the formation of an emerging network of researchers committed to advancing scholarship on early African–European entanglements and expanding Black diasporic studies beyond the Atlantic paradigm. The keynote lecture will be delivered by Paul Kaplan, a leading scholar in early African–European studies.