'Black Spartacus'

"By far the most complete, authoritative and persuasive biography of Toussaint that we are likely to have for a long time"

- The Guardian

Black Spartacus book cover

 

The Background

As part of Black History Month, New College was delighted to host an online conversation with Sudhir Hazareesingh, Fellow of Balliol College and author of the recently published Black Spartacus - a biography of Toussaint Louverture, a key figure in the Haitian Independence movement in the 18th century. Sudhir spoke about the work and hosted a Q&A for New College members on Monday 26th October. 

Mizan, the JCR's Ethnic Minorities Officer, arranged the talk and had this to say: 

"Black History Month is naturally a very important month, and it is time to celebrate the contributions Black people have made not just to the UK but also to the world. 'Black Spartacus' by Hazareesingh focuses on Toussaint Louverture and the role he played in securing Haiti's independence. Louverture is one of the few Black figures in history that are remembered, but very little is known about him. 

Hazareesingh has specifically been chosen to speak about his book and Louverture as there is so much more to learn about someone who set the path for an entire country. 

It is important that Colleges recognise this important month and facilitate the celebration of it. Especially given the current climate, there needs to be a focus on the Black experience - starting with key figures in history who have been overlooked or written over. Not only will this provide New College students with an interesting story and the opportunity to consider its implications, it also highlights how New College is committed to recognising and celebrating diversity in the past and present."

The Event

Sudhir talked about Toussaint and the originality of the Haitian revolution (and why it was erased for so long in Western historiography), what he discovered about him in his research, and the (many) reasons why this story still matters to us all to-day. Not only was the talk itself very interesting, but it provoked some very engaging discussion afterwards. 

“[The story of Toussaint and the Haitian revolution matters today] for 3 fairly obvious reasons. Firstly on the issue of erasure, we need to talk about slavery and colonialism because the full histories of what happened in these respects we still haven’t got to the bottom of and we need to integrate these stories into our narratives of as to who we are today in Britain. … When we talk about Britain and slavery, there is still a tendency to go on about Wilberforce. Wilberforce was not the main reason why slavery was abolished. Slavery was abolished because those enslaved resisted and fought. 

It also matters because Toussaint’s story is one of racial equality and racial justice, and of course these are struggles of our moment as we have seen with the all the movements that have erupted in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. The Toussaint story and the Haitian revolution story underlines the basic point; if we are serious about tackling racism, we need to understand racism is a structural phenomenon. Attitudes are not the main factor we need to tackle. Racism is an institution, and until we understand how it operates as an institution we won’t be able to confront it properly. This was a truth that Toussaint understood.

Last but not least, Toussaint seems to me to be a (as I call him in the final chapter of the book) a hero of our time. He is a hero of our time because he of course is the defender of Black rights and a champion of the fight against slavery but he is also at the same time an internationalist, someone who believes in multiculturalism, someone who believes in the ideal of progress, someone who believes in justice and someone who believes in reconciliation. It is about time we turn to figures who appeal to harmony and justice and Toussaint is definitely one of those.”

- Sudhir Hazareesingh at the talk on 26th October 2020

Read a review of Black Spartacus here