In the Grip of Change exhibition tour

Join us for a curator-led tour of Senate House Library's exhibition In the Grip of Change: the Caribbean and its British Diaspora.

Britain’s Caribbean colonies had been exploited for centuries, but increasing demands for self-determination emerging from riots and strikes during the 1930s forced Britain to introduce political reform. Progress towards self-government unfolded in stages between the 1960s and 1980s. Today Britain retains six overseas territories in the Caribbean and is still linked to its former colonies through the Commonwealth. The process of decolonisation is ongoing.

This exhibition traces British Caribbean colonies’ paths to independence, highlighting the work of transnational activists. It also explores the Caribbean diaspora in Britain and how successive changes to immigration and nationality laws have culminated in the 'Windrush' scandal.

Visitors can trace the journey from colony to independence and diaspora through a vibrant range of materials from Senate House Library's Caribbean and Black history collections. Items on display include pamphlets, posters, newspapers, comics, calypsos, poetry and badges. Visitors will have the opportunity to listen to new oral history recordings created as part of the AHRC-funded project ‘The Windrush Scandal in a Transnational and Commonwealth Context’.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Senate House Library, Malet Street, London, United Kingdom