The Association organized the following international conferences:

• “Africa in Question”, in Nantes (France), 1993;
• “The Caribbean: New Exchanges between Europe and the Americas”, in Nantes (France), 1994;
• “Legacies of the Past: Five Centuries of Relationships between Europe, Africa and the Americas”, in Dakar, (Senegal), 1997;
• “The Colonial Experience: Atlantic Exchanges in the Time of Slavery, from the 15th to the 19th century”, in Nantes (France), June 2005. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, June 20th, 21st, 22^nd, 2005. University of Nantes, continuous professional development.

The Association was also a member of the scientific committee for Unesco's Slave Route project, and thus took part in international summits in Ouidah, Cuba, Luanda, Nantes, Parlermo and Rio de Janeiro.

In 2003 the Shackles of Memory in conjunction with the University of Nantes (Division of Continuous Professional Learning) created the Center for Studies of the Shackles of Memory. This center for studies aims at expanding the research on slavery and the slave trades throughout History. The Association's wish is to contribute to the creation of a network dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of international research on these themes.

The Research Center's activities include:

• coordination of conference cycles and introduction to historical research workshops;
• Dissemination of knowledge via/through the CODES Project for Research (University of Nantes)
• participation in colloquiums and conferences
• Digitization of  available archives on these themes, in conjunction with the Loire-Atlantic Region Archives Center (Archives Départementales de Loire-Atlantique).

Directors of Activities:
Philippe-Jean HESSE et Jean-Marc MASSEAUT

Conference Cycles

The conferences:

• These conferences were meant to expand the study of and research about the slave trade and Atlantic slavery, as well as to deepen the process of reflection on slavery as part of the larger human history with other cases of slavery and slave trade throughout the world.
• They were led by professors and directors of research from France, North America and Africa, and covered a wide range of subjects.

PRESENTATION OF THE JOURNAL

In order to contribute to the current debates and to participate in the dissemination of researchers’ works, The Shackles of Memory has decided to edit a journal entitled “The Journals of the Shackles of Memory”.  The journal is composed of a collection of articles written by international researchers dedicated to the subjects of slave trade, slavery and their modern consequences.

Aong with the “Journals of The Shackles of Memory”, we continue our work towards the unveiling and consolidation of the tormented history of the triangle trade which opposes and, at the same time, reunites the three Atlantic continents.  We offer a space for dialogue to researchers specialized in diverse disciplines and inheritors of cultures who have been violently antagonistic due to their history.

The singularities of this journal:

• An editorial committee composed of international researchers
• The interdisciplinarity of the published researchers (historians, sociologists, anthropologists, psychoanalysts, economists, linguists...) allows for the journal to address the history concerned as well as to remain open to contemporary issues.
• The exposure and comparison of these different viewpoints by calling on international researchers.  As of today, researchers from Africa (Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Senegal, Gabon), from Europe (France, Portugal, England), from the Americas and the Caribbean (the West Indies, USA, Canada, Brazil) have contributed to the journal.
• The accessibility for young researchers, particularly those from Africa.

It should be noted that this journal is the only one of it’s kind dedicated to this subject.  It can thus be considered a reference book in the field of the slave trade.