EUROTAST was a Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN), that supported a new generation of science and humanities researchers who uncovered and interpreted new evidence on the history and contemporary legacies of the transatlantic slave trade. The network ran for four years from 2011 to 2015, and enabled 13 PhD researchers in history, archaeology, social anthropology and population genetics to work collaboratively across disciplines to provide new perspectives on this history. Our research focused on three themes: Origins, Life Cycles, and Legacies, which led us to further detail on the slave trading system, but also helped us demonstrate how slavery fundamentally shaped the cultural and biological experiences of people of African descent around the world.
Do our bodies contain clues that help to unlock mysteries from the past?
Using innovative genomic technologies we are exploring the African origins of historic individuals, using ancient DNA and modern day descendant genetic data.
Can ancient buried remains detail the lifestyles of our ancestors?
We are using the latest osteoarchaeological methods to investigate health, disease and nutrition amongst enslaved African populations in the Caribbean.
Can genetics and cultural identity comfortably coexist?
We are examining the manner in which emergent genetic data is mediated and used to construct individual and collective identities.
How do we learn about slavery in the age of Facebook and Twitter?
We will be exploring the ways in which this history is presented to the public, and explored uniquely in West Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States.