Into the future: A historiographical overview of Atlantic History in the twenty first century

ABSTRACT This article examines developments in the field of Atlantic History within the past two decades and through the prism of slavery studies and a number of close sub-fields. By paying attention to what Atlantic historians have achieved since the turn of the century, it discusses contributions and critiques in equal measure, highlighting the field’s place in wider global discussions. While probing a number of methodological challenges that are already being tackled by numerous Atlantic historians, this article also explores the potential obstacles that lay ahead and suggest possible ways to negotiate them successfully. Rather than offering yet another painstaking reconstruction of the birth and growth of Atlantic History, this piece focuses squarely on the field’s twenty-first century’s saga: past, present and future.