Ramsay presents David Livingstone paper

In the 200 years since his birth, the Reverend Dr David Livingstone has been viewed as a Victorian era missionary explorer associated with ‘humanitarian imperialism;’ an image promoted by imperialists after his death and which survives in the popular mind.

Yet – the Livingstone who lived among Batswana from 1841-1853 was a far more radical figure than commonly portrayed.  In his early periodical writings, as well as correspondence, all but forgotten, one finds a fierce critic of racism, colonial conquest, and coerced labour.