Swedenborg on anti-colonialism, spiritual freedom, and slavery
Swedenborg was the first prominent Swede to speak out against slavery in the eighteenth century. In his talk Dr. Vincent Roy-Di Piazza explores Swedenborg's connections with people from Africa. He also reviews his writings, showing they advocate for freedom from temporal and spiritual slavery. Finally, he examines Swedenborg's belief in African superiority and his striking critiques of colonialism. The discussion expands on how millenarian beliefs contributed to the abolition of slavery.
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel and VUB professor Cornelis J. Schilt invite you to an exclusive lecture on the views of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) on slavery and on the superiority of sub-Saharan Africans by Dr. Vincent Roy-Di Piazza.
About guest speaker Vincent Roy-Di Piazza
Vincent Roy-Di Piazza is a historian of science, religion, and political economy. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Oxford in 2022. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Oxford, and a lecturer at the University of Stockholm.