Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery: Nantes’ journey to reckoning with their colonial past

Abstract

In this article, I build off the critical work that has engaged with the history of Nantes and the larger question of memorialization in Europe. I analyze the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery, celebrated as Nantes’ recognition of their colonial past and France's journey to abolition. In my analysis of the Memorial, I consider what is being communicated through the memorial, and the stakes it holds for municipal and local actors in the memory scene. Utilizing a textual and visual analysis of the memorial, I analyze the choices made for the memorial, who is interpellated within its narratives, and how ultimately, the monument is a tool of disavowal for the city of Nantes even as they take steps to reckon with the role in the transatlantic slave trade. I argue that Nantes, through the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery, utilizes a humanitarian narrative to avoid guilt for its pivotal role in the slave trade and to link itself to larger Europe as a cosmopolitan, artistic city that has cleansed itself from its sins.