This is worth sharing.
White Debt is a new book by Thomas Harding about a slave uprising on sugar plantations in what was the British territory of Demerara.
Harding is a careful writer. This Guardian review of the book highlights his subtle ability to unsettle complacent ways of thinking:
He replaces “slave” with “enslaved men and women”, as well as putting in quotation marks all markers of ownership – “purchased”, “belonged”, “owned”. Those who participated in the uprising he refers to as “abolitionists” – the term “rebels” implies that they were challenging a legitimate system.
With these small but considered edits, Harding delivers a masterclass in how authors of history can play an active role, for good and for bad, in how these moral questions are framed.
Find out more about how to write carefully and avoid perpetuating unthinking bias, prejudice and harmful assumptions.
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