Aaron Jaffer – författare

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.

Cases of mutiny and other forms of protest are used to reveal full and interesting details of lascar shipboard life.Shortlisted for the Royal Historical Society's 2016 Gladstone Prize.Lascars were seamen from the Indian subcontinent and other areas of the Indian Ocean region who were employed aboard European ships from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. They experienced difficult working conditions and came from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds, which created considerable scope for friction between them and their Europeanofficers. This book, based on extensive original research, examines the role of lascars employed aboard country ships, East Indiamen and other British sailing vessels. The focus is on protest in its various forms, from mild unrest to violent acts of mutiny in which lascar crews murdered officers, seized ships and then sought refuge with local rulers. It is only through descriptions of such events - found in logbooks, seafaring diaries and the East India Company's judicial records - that many aspects of lascar life at sea become visible and lascar voices can be heard. Through the study of mutiny and other forms of protest, the book provides a detailed insight into shipboard conditions amongst lascars employed during this period.Aaron Jaffer completed his doctorate in history at the University of Warwick.