Dr Tara Inniss is a Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus. The areas of focus for her teaching and research include: history of medicine; history of social policy; and heritage and social development. 

Dr Inniss has served as a delegate for the Government of Barbados on the World Heritage Committee. She also has been a member of the Research Team which assembled the Nomination Dossier for UNESCO World Heritage Property Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison and The Industrial Heritage of Barbados: The Story of Sugar and Rum. She currently sits on several committees for the Barbados Museum and Historical Society and the Government of Barbados. She serves as the Secretary-Treasurer for the Association of Caribbean Historians (ACH).

CaribOx Visit

During my visit to the University of Oxford on the CaribOx Travel Grant, I examined historical and contemporary legacies of slavery and colonialism across the Caribbean and the United Kingdom, with particular attention to heritage, archival access reparatory justice. Drawing on research undertaken at major repositories such as the Bodleian Libraries and other UK archives, my work seeks to identify, document, and analyse records relating to the transatlantic slave trade, post-emancipation societies, and Caribbean social development. A central strand of this research involves building connections between UK heritage institutions and Caribbean partners, while foregrounding the perspectives and interests of descendant communities.  

I developed several publications including work on a project exploring the afterlives of slavery in St. Kitts and Nevis during the apprenticeship period, 1834-38. I completed two articles that look at restitution of Caribbean archival and museum collections and building relationships in heritage across the African diaspora. Collectively, this work reflects my broader commitment to preserving vulnerable archives, strengthening regional research capacity, and supporting more inclusive, community-engaged approaches to Caribbean heritage and history.