Black and Asian Seafarers

A probing exploration of Black seafarers, lascars and Chinese seafarers in British maritime history from the French Revolutionary War to the Second World War.

For centuries, these men supplied essential labour for Britain's trade, warfare, exploration, transport and colonial expansion - yet their interconnected stories have rarely been told together. Black and Asian Seafarers brings these histories into focus through a striking visual record that reveals both life at sea and the lasting cultural impact these communities had on Britain.

The book shows how images - illustrations, prints, paintings and photographs - are crucial to understanding the experiences of these seafarers, as much through what is depicted as through what is omitted. Many of these newly discovered visuals, all from the world-leading holdings of Royal Museums Greenwich, highlight the complexity and significance of their contributions, while also illuminating broader histories of colonialism and migration.

Although often overlooked in maritime collections, the presence of Black and Asian seafarers is unmistakable. Their stories remind us that maritime history is, and always has been, everyone's history.

About the Author

Aaron Jaffer is Curator of World History and Cultures at Royal Museums Greenwich. Jaffer's early research on lascars on board sailing ships has been published in journals and a book, Lascars and Indian Ocean Seafaring, 1780-1860: Shipboard Life, Unrest and Mutiny (Boydell and Brewer, 2015), and he has also written on the Golden Age of piracy and the Royal Navy in China. He is currently working to make material relating to Black and Asian histories in the extensive photographic collections at Royal Museums Greenwich more accessible, exploring the Museum's wider holdings for Black and Asian material and collaborating with a range of community groups.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Migration
• Chapter 2: Black sailors during the Napoleonic Wars
• Chapter 3: Black seafarers, slavery and antislavery
• Chapter 4: Picturing lascars
• Chapter 5: Photographing everyday life at sea
• Chapter 6: British ships in Chinese waters
• Chapter 7: Mirth and menace
• Chapter 8: Black and Asian sailors under arms
• Conclusion