معرفی
Emma Christopher is an Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales within the Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture. Her scholarly work bridges historical research with documentary filmmaking and anti-slavery advocacy, establishing her as a leading voice in the study of transatlantic slavery and its global legacies.
Dr. Christopher earned her Ph.D. from University College London in 2002 with a dissertation titled "The Sons of Neptune and the Sons of Ham: a history of slave ship sailors and their captive cargoes." Her academic journey has been marked by prestigious fellowships including multiple Australian Research Council grants, a Scientia Fellowship at UNSW, and international research opportunities at Yale University, Harvard University, and the Huntington Library.
Christopher's research focuses on the interconnected histories of the transatlantic slave trade, convict transportation, and Pacific Islander labor systems. She examines how these historical processes created enduring connections between West Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific region. Her work particularly explores how enslaved and free people of African descent navigated, resisted, and transformed the systems that sought to control them. Through ethnographic approaches and documentary filmmaking, she brings historical narratives to contemporary audiences, highlighting the ongoing relevance of historical slavery to modern anti-trafficking efforts.
Her extensive publication record reveals a consistent focus on maritime dimensions of slavery, connections between different forced migration systems, and the cultural legacies of slavery in the Americas and Pacific. Christopher's scholarship demonstrates how historical slavery continues to shape contemporary social and economic structures across multiple continents.
- Best Documentary: Sierra Leone National Entertainment Awards (2017)
- Best Documentary, Miami Documentary Festival (2014)
- Kay Daniels Prize for "A Merciless Place" (2011)
- Ernest Scott Prize for "A Merciless Place" (2011)
- Humanitarian Award for Anti-Slavery Research in West Africa, University of Minnesota (2010)
As a research supervisor, Christopher mentors students working on transatlantic slave trade, West Africa, and Caribbean slavery topics. Her substantial grant funding, including multiple Australian Research Council Discovery Grants and Scientia Fellowships, supports her ongoing projects examining connections between transatlantic slavery and Pacific Island labor systems, as well as the cultural survival of enslaved communities in the Spanish Americas.
Christopher's documentary work, particularly "They Are We" which screened in over 70 countries and was selected as the United Nations' Remembrance of Slavery film for 2015, demonstrates her commitment to translating academic research into public-facing media that creates meaningful social impact.
