Aims and objectives
This project will digitise Havana's Royal Prison Logbooks (1836–1898), one of the largest and most significant penal institutions in the colonial Atlantic world. Spanning a century (1837-1937), these extraordinary manuscripts from one of the Atlantic's largest colonial prisons contain detailed records of thousands of men, women and children, both free and enslaved.
As a historical source, they provide an unparalleled resource for understanding the use of mass incarceration as a tool of social control and racial oppression within the Spanish Empire during a period of profound transformation in Cuba. Havana's Royal Prison Logbooks are unique in their scope and detail. No other known penal records from the mid-19th century in the Caribbean region provide such a granular view of the evolving demographics of an incarcerated population.
This project is part of the flagship initiative: ‘The Prison Blueprint: How Colonial Incarceration Forged Modern Racial Injustice’.
Issues of Preservation and Access
Despite the extraordinary effort of the National Archive’s curatorial team, the logbooks are at risk of serious deterioration and limited accessibility. They are written on acidic paper using iron gall ink, leading to significant material fragility, brittleness and ink corrosion. They are currently stored in a location with no climate control, leaving them vulnerable to further deterioration from humidity and pests. This project will not only preserve the logbooks but also make them freely accessible to a global community of researchers, ensuring that the stories held within these pages can be preserved, studied and told.
Ethical Considerations
This project is founded on a deep awareness of its ethical responsibilities. We recognise that the data within these logbooks is not merely statistical; it represents the lives of thousands of men, women, and children who suffered imprisonment and systematic torture under a colonial regime that used incarceration as a primary tool of social control and political repression. It is therefore imperative that our research remains sensitive to the profound emotional impact this history has on communities that have been historically victimised by colonial and imperial institutions.
To ensure an ethical and non-extractivist approach, this project is built on a foundation of genuine partnership. We consider the direct involvement of our Cuban colleagues from the Archivo Nacional de la República de Cuba and the University of Havana to be essential. Their professional expertise is invaluable, but equally important is their connection to this history, which for them reflects a traumatic legacy for their people, communities and nation. Their collaboration from the outset ensures the project is guided by those closest to the source material and its complex historical context.
Project Team
Principal Investigators
- Dr Jesús Sanjurjo, University of Strathclyde (Project Lead)
- Dr Lloyd Belton, University of Glasgow (Co-Lead)
- MSc. Yaimara Izaguirre, University of Havana (Co-Lead)
- Dr Yashar Moshfeghi, University of Strathclyde (Co-Lead)
Curatorial Team (National Archive of the Republic of Cuba)
- Elvira Corvelle Sanjurjo, Director
- Enis Perez Castillo, Director of Information Services
Research and Advisory Team
- Prof. Manuel Barcia, University of Bath
- Prof. María del Carmen Barcia, University of Havana
- Dr John Bardes, Louisiana State University
- Dr Messias Basques, University of Glasgow
- Aneel Singh Bhopal, West of Scotland Regional Equality Council
- Prof. Mercedes García, University of Havana
- Prof. Roberto Gonzalez Arana, Universidad del Norte
- Prof. Nicholas Guyatt, University of Cambridge
- Dr Daniel Gyollai, University of Copenhagen
- Dr Oilda Hevia Lanier, University of Havana
- Dr Cara Jardine, University of Strathclyde
- Dr Valeria Mantilla Morales, Stony Brook University
- Dr Kellie Moss, University of Leicester
- Dr Consuelo Naranjo, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
- Prof. Laura Piacciardini, University of Strathclyde
- Dr Vanesa Sabala, University of Strathclyde
- Dr Ismael Sarmiento Ramirez, University of Oviedo
- Prof. Lisa Surwillo, Stanford University
- Beverley Thompson-Brown OBE, Criminal Justice System SME
- Prof. Beth Weaver, University of Strathclyde
