Slave Research Articles

Slaves as Gifts to Accompany Letters: A Critical Study of the Bo’ Abdul Kadim

This study discusses the tradition of letters in the kingdom of Bima, especially concerning giving enslaved people as gifts to accompany letters. The data for this study were taken from the manuscript bundle of bo’ (official royal records) during the reign of Sultan Abdul Kadim Muhammad Shah (1751–1773). Now, the manuscript is part of the collection of the Samparaja Cultural Museum, Bima, West Nusa Tenggara and is coded C.011 Bo. Within the manuscript bundle, we found 117 (out of a total of 548) letters discussing slaves and slavery in the Bima kingdom. We first used philological research methods, then these texts were analysed with historical records to obtain a complete understanding of slaves and slavery in the 18th century AD societal traditions. The results showed that slaves giving as a gift accompanying the letter was a symbol of respect for the recipient of the letter, which was following the Malay correspondence tradition. For local rulers, slaves were the most valuable treasure. Slaves were also a determinant of social status among the nobility in the past. This practice applies not only in Bima but throughout the Malay land and even Southeast Asia.

Quilombola women from Jequitinhonha (Minas Gerais, Brazil) and access to water and sanitation in the context of COVID-19: a matter of human rights

IntroductionIn Brazil there are currently 3,475 certified quilombo communities, reminiscent of Black communities founded by African enslaved people. In the Jequitinhonha Valley, a semi-arid region located in northeastern Minas Gerais State, Brazil, there are approximately 80 established communities, mostly in hard-to-reach areas with lack of access to water and sanitation services.MethodsUsing the analytical framework of Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) and with a gender perspective, this research aimed to analyze how access to water and sanitation occurs in two remaining communities of quilombos (Córrego do Narciso and Córrego do Rocha) located in the Jequitinhonha Valley and how lack of access to these services impacts the health and lifestyle of the population, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used qualitative methods. Data was collected using individual interviews and focus groups. The data was analyzed using content analyses technique.ResultsThe results showed that access to water and sanitation in both communities did not respect the HRWS normative content and the lack of access impacted the lifestyle—the economic, cultural and social traditional activities-and the health of the population, especially for women. During COVID-9 pandemic access to water became even more difficult because the supply by water truck was discontinued producing more insecurity as people in the communities, especially women, needed to go to the city to buy water and food and could not keep isolation.DiscussionPublic policies on access to water for rural populations, especially quilombolas, if guided by the HRWS framework and interwoven with the gender perspective, could ensure guaranteed quality of life for women and can strength their entitlements within their territories.

Debating Slavery After the Southampton Insurrection: A Crisis among North Carolina Slave Owners, 1831–1832

ABSTRACT This article examines the varied and unexpected responses among slave owners in North Carolina after Nat Turner's Insurrection in Virginia in 1831. It argues that their response was not political and economic as was the case in the famous debates carried out in the Virginia legislature at the same time. Instead, North Carolina slave owners engaged in a wide-ranging public and private debate over the morality of slavery that had its roots in a statewide discussion of abolition that began in 1829. The 1831–1832 debate in North Carolina debate focused on how slavery had failed in the recent slave conspiracies turned up in North Carolina, and how slavery could be made to function and survive by creating a stable and just society rooted in both inequality and morality. That, North Carolina slave owners hoped, would bring an end to the continuous war between white enslavers and enslaved African Americans that had been publicly exposed by Turner's revolt and subsequent conspiracies discovered in North Carolina.

Archaeology and a case of genocide: the ‘indigenous prisons’ of Minas Gerais, Brazil

ABSTRACT A 2021 sentence condemned a retired Major of the Military Police of Minas Gerais on charges of genocide against the Krenak people. Between 1969 and 1979, that state’s Military Police established two prisons of exception. The sentence is crucial on the grounds of the enormous human and cultural damage endured by the indigenous peoples of Brazil during the Military Dictatorship of 1964–1985, as established by the Brazilian Truth Commission. This paper discusses an archaeological and anthropological approach to the conditions prevailing at these prisons and attested by some of its survivors. By addressing their form of internment, the slave labour and torture committed at them, this paper will discuss the extent to which such prisons can be considered concentration camps. This article on their archaeological study hopes to make a useful contribution to the archaeology of repression and resistance to that dictatorship.

Dźwiękowe emanacje oporu i strategie przetrwania w Litzmannstadt Ghetto

The history of the creation and activities of the Lodz Ghetto is a tale of escalating terror techniques. The structure of repression included isolation, starvation, slave labor, persecution on personal, cultural and religious grounds, as well as measures that reinforced social and material stratification. Against this background, practices of resistance of an acoustic nature – one of the few forms of resistance that could slip through the dense web of oppression – take on particular significance. Acoustic strategies of survival include, on the one hand, artistic creation or singing during work, strikes and opposition gatherings, and on the other, practices that ensured survival: deliberate silence, listening to the radio, or secret communication systems between those in hiding. The article illustrates the multifaceted nature of the resistance undertaken by those imprisoned in the ghetto, emphasizing the importance of sound strategies – hitherto overlooked in Holocaust studies. Key-words: Holocaust audiosphere, sound history, holocaust, Lodz ghetto, sound studies

No Emancipation without Compensation

This article analyses how Dutch slave owners and shareholders used petitions to influence how slavery was abolished in Suriname, Curaçao and the Antilles. They have been characterised as defenders of slavery. Throughout this article it will become clear that slave owners and shareholders did not aim for the continuation of slavery in the Dutch Atlantic after the 1840s. Instead, they successfully lobbied to postpone abolition until the most favourable conditions for them – rather than the enslaved people – had been agreed in Parliament. British legislation and colonial practices inspired their advocacy for financial compensation and labour immigration, showing the transnational nature of this approach. Referring to legislation adopted by the States General also proved an effective tactic to legitimise their claims. The resulting Emancipation Act became part of the Dutch State’s transformation into an anti-slavery empire, because the Act expanded the state’s power over the formerly enslaved people in Suriname and the use of coerced labour under the guise of abolition.

Anthropologie argentine

Argentine Anthropology is a discipline of disciplines—sociocultural anthropology, archaeology, ethnohistory, folklore and ethnology, biological anthropology and forensic anthropology—whose first academic exponents date back to the end of the 19th century. It accompanied studies in the United States and Western and Central Europe and developed in close relationship with the institutions of the Argentine State, particularly educational, military and those dedicated to population policies and territorial definition. It was characterized by applying to a country that exported temperate products, with little need for intensive and slave labour, with repeated state intervention to the University system, and with an extensive overseas immigrant population. After a relatively conservative period, anthropology became one of the most innovative and reference disciplines in the Argentine social sciences.

Diskursus Penafsiran Milkul Yamin di Kalangan Ulama Klasik dan Kontemporer: Teks dan Konteks

The institutionalised ownership of slaves (milkul yamin) is one of the focuses of the Quranic critique of the culture of exploitation and domination in Arabia. The Quran views that it must be eliminated immediately even though it is done gradually, including through expiation in the form of freeing slaves and allowing masters to have sex with their personal slaves as stated in several verses of the Quran. The concept of milkul yamin is interpreted with various views by classical and contemporary scholars, even with interpretations that go beyond previous scholars towards non-marital sexual relations. This research will reveal how classical and contemporary scholars interpret the concept of milkul yamin found in the Quran and hadith both in text and context. This research is a qualitative type of library research with data derived from sources related to the concept of milkul yamin in the form of books, books, articles and various writings in online media then analysed using descriptive methods. The results showed that the majority of classical and contemporary scholars viewed the verses on slavery as Islam's attempt to raise the status of slaves from religious prisoners of war at that time. As well as a way for Islam to gradually abolish the practice of slavery that has been entrenched and rooted in jahiliyyah Arab society. Meanwhile, according to Muhammad Syahrur's reinterpretation, it is more subjective, influenced by modern culture and civilisation, and does not carefully consider the historical meaning of the verse and the main message contained in the verse.

Problematizing socially sustainable global supply chains: Theoretical insights, contextual challenges, and the issue of modern slavery

This study critically examines the literature on enablers of socially sustainable global supply chains, with a particular focus on the theoretical underpinnings that contribute to their establishment and maintenance. It also explores the contextual factors that perpetuate modern slavery within supply chains, evaluating the measures taken to address these issues. A comprehensive review of 265 publications from 2012 to 2024, identified through a keyword search in the Scopus database, forms the basis of this analysis. Key factors that enable labor abuse in global supply chains are identified, including business models that prioritize profit over ethics, socio-economic vulnerabilities of workers, commercial pressures, and insufficient regulatory oversight. By bridging gaps in the current literature, this study contributes to developing best practices for managing socially sustainable supply chains, with significant implications for theory, context, and policy.

Mahogany: a historical geography of a lasting commodity of 18th-century enslavement

ABSTRACT It might be assumed that the commodities produced by enslaved labour in the British colonies in the 18th century were consumed long ago. Mahogany wood, however, endures and challenges this assumption. Slave labour was used to cut mahogany trees and prepare the timber for transporting to European and North American markets. When made into fine furniture and fittings this same mahogany has been admired and preserved through to the present day. We explore how mahogany was part of the geography of colonial trade and wealth-making by drawing on research focused on Lancaster in north-west England, the UK’s fourth largest slave trading port. We trace the extended geographies and lines of connection that were produced by the interlinked trades in enslaved African people and mahogany wood, and, through this focus on Lancaster, we provide an example of how colonialism shaped the economy and narrative of places in Britain. Contemporary responses within heritage settings and the implications for the continuing trade in antique mahogany furniture are also considered.

What to Do after the Emancipation Proclamation? A Princeton Seminary Alumnus’s Views on Racial Issues and Slavery in Brazil and the United States (1852–1867)

Abstract This article reflects on how the concept of race and views on African Americans and Afro-Brazilians permeated the American Presbyterian missions that operated in the Brazilian empire in the nineteenth century. This analysis considers the writing and reading of Ashbel Green Simonton (1833–1867), a Princeton Seminary alum sent to Brazil as a missionary by the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA). In his missionary activity, Simonton founded the first Presbyterian Church and the first evangelical periodical in Brazil. Considering the intercessions between the racial theories stemming from natural history and nineteenth-century theological anthropologies, as well as the missionary’s interactions with the racial and slavery issues that permeated the American Civil War (1861–1865), this article analyzes Simonton’s journal (1852–1867), the books requested by Simonton at Princeton Theological Seminary (1856–1858), and the periodical Imprensa Evangélica (Evangelical Press, 1864–1867).

Inscribed in Liberalism: racism in International Relations and abolition of slavery in Brazil

The beginning of 20th Century was a moment of great transformations, amongst which the first impulse in institutionalize a field of knowledge of International Relations. A structural change that happened 30 years after the abolition of slavery in Brazil. Despite the fact of being unrelated historical phenomena in objective terms, I argue that the possibility of analyzing them in tandem widens the critique to the racist premises of liberalism, a powerful ideological motivator in both events. The vitality of critical studies in IR has helped denounce the premises upon which the discipline is grounded and the definition of what is within the scope of its interest. The disciplinary critique is reconstructed in the first section and, in the second, I present the marginalization inscribed in legal norms of late 19th and early 20th Century Brazil. The technique of developing conditions for the segregation of a sector of the population disguising it from full-citizens by granting conditional-citizenship to former enslaved people is a sophisticated use of liberalism. Such use not only presents in full the critique of structural racism developed by the critique to this political project, already advanced by IR scholars, it also presents another discussion that has yet ground to cover in the field: the unchallenged premise of homogeneity within political communities.

Fertility responses to short-term economic stress: Price volatility and wealth shocks in a pre-transitional settler colony

This paper examines the effects of short-term economic stress, captured by general price volatility and a negative wealth shock on short-run fertility behavior in the rural pre-transitional society of the Cape Colony. First, we link complete birth histories of settler women from the South African Families database to consumer price index data to examine the effect of price volatility on conceptions. Next, we link the same birth histories to slave owner and slave emancipation data to examine the effect of a negative wealth shock on conception. Upon slave emancipation in 1834, former slave owners received on average only between 40 and 50 % of the market value of their slaves as compensation, resulting in a substantial reduction in their wealth. Relying on event history models that look simultaneously at stopping and spacing, we do not find strong evidence in support of fertility control in response to general price volatility. We do find greater variance in birth interval lengths for former slaveholding households during and immediately after emancipation, suggesting that a negative wealth shock is associated with increased fertility limitation through postponement in this context.

The Philosophical Implications and Contemporary Value Insights of “Labor Creates Humanity” from Hegel's "Master-Slave Dialectic"

In Hegel's "Master-Slave Dialectic," labor is not only a means to achieve freedom but also a process of self-creation. Through labor, the slave negates their own nature, gradually surpassing their mere slave status to gain self-awareness and freedom. Meanwhile, the master, often reliant on the slave's labor is compelled to accept material provisions from the slave, creating a material dependency that forces the master to negate their own essence and be disciplined into a new form by the slave. This dependency of the master is not only material but also involves recognition of the slave's social status and their own value. Hegel's "Master-Slave Dialectic" provides a profound philosophical framework for contemplating the philosophical implications and contemporary value insights of "Labor Creates People." It offers a deeper understanding of issues facing contemporary society, particularly in rethinking the relationships between freedom, labor, and environment. This philosophical framework is crucial for seeking inclusive and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges.

Exploring the drivers of modern slavery reporting quality in Indonesia

AbstractVulnerability to modern slavery in Indonesia, particularly driven by poverty and discrimination against minority groups, has become a primary concern in the context of information transparency. This study aims to investigate the factors that can support the reporting quality of modern slavery in Indonesia, namely the industry sector, profitability, social responsibility commitment, and gender diversity as the moderating variable. The research utilized a sample of 225 companies listed on the Indonesia stock exchange (IDX) from 2020 to 2022. Data were collected from financial reports and sustainability reports as well as the Refinitiv Eikon database. Panel data regression analysis was conducted to analyze the determinants of the disclosure quality. The research findings indicate that high‐risk industry sectors tend to disclose less information regarding modern slavery, with this outcome having a partially negative impact. However, profitability is not associated with the quality of voluntary modern slavery disclosure. In contrast, corporate responsibility commitment is positively associated. Additionally, this study reveals that gender diversity does not moderate the association between the industry sector, profitability, and corporate responsibility commitment with the disclosure quality of modern slavery. This research contributes to the growing literature on the accountability of modern slavery in an emerging country context through institutional theory and gender socialization theory lenses by identifying the firm‐level factors to enhance corporate disclosure in this area. This study also contributes to corporate understanding of modern slavery issues within supply chains. With growing attention to this problem, the awareness of labor exploitation within corporate supply chains is also increasing. The findings of this research can assist companies in recognizing the importance of transparency and voluntary disclosure regarding modern slavery in their supply chains.

Slavery's absence from histories of moral and political philosophy

AbstractAt a time when many institutions of higher learning are reflecting on their past complicity with chattel slavery, either in terms of the sources of their funding or their use of slave labor, philosophy as an academic discipline has been largely silent about its own complicity. Questions surrounding the legitimacy and practice of slavery were a regular part of moral philosophy courses at universities from the sixteenth century until its abolition. However, the discussions of slavery found in the dominant textbooks tended to be deeply conservative judged even by the standards of those times. This partly explains why after emancipation the many moral questions posed by slavery are barely mentioned in survey histories of ethics or of political philosophy today: this is a context in which academic philosophy does not show itself to its best advantage. The present article explores what academic philosophers need to do to redress the discipline's past failures, including its virtual silence about slavery since the Civil War. Given today's political environment, academic philosophers need to reflect on how the discipline in its institutional form functions within a system governed by the legacy of slavery and its aftermath.

Conceptualizing ‘Liberated Africans’ and Slave Trade Abolition: Government Schemes to Indenture Enslaved People Captured from Slavery, 1800–1920

Abstract A new survey of ‘Liberated Africans’ exposes how global calculations of involuntary African indentured labour after 1800 have been significantly underestimated. This analysis of the suppression of the slave trade draws upon a publicly accessible database and digital archive at LiberatedAfricans.org. A quantitative, spatial and chronological visualization of abolition in action, the website memorializes lived experiences of the victims of abolition on micro and macro levels. Results show that there were more than 700,000 individuals captured from the slave trade, ‘liberated’, and forced into periods of indenture according to anti-slave-trade law. This article consolidates the historiography to challenge dominant narratives that British-led efforts were the most voluminous, instead revealing a more complex and multifaceted global phenomenon involving the mass registration of upwards of 200,000 people by name. Digital humanities methodologies facilitate tracking migratory patterns of ‘Liberated Africans’ in diaspora, that is from African regions of departure through documented capture locations in slave trade blockades, judicial processes resulting in ‘liberation’, and settlements of indenture often involving secondary migrations. With the participation of at least eighteen different nations, key findings determine that Portugal and France contributed to upwards of 370,000 ‘Liberated Africans’, surpassing Britain which supplied about a third of global estimates.

The centrality of railways in the German concentration camp system: Jewish slave labourers’ relocation experiences

This article scrutinises the role railways played in the existence of the German concentration camp system during the Third Reich era. Through the lens of Jewish slave labourers’ experiences, I argue that the numerous daily transports of prisoners from site to site were the backbone of the SS camp system. Grounded in survivor testimonies and Nazi administrative records, this paper traces the pathways of Dutch Jewish deportees on a single deportation transport to the concentration camps and addresses the impact of the frequent displacements upon the inmates. In general, the Germans decided which detainee was sent where, yet sometimes the victims could interfere in the selection process or evade relocation to another site. The maps in this article visualise the trajectories of several Dutch Jews; they demonstrate that prisoner relocation was a common phenomenon and reveal the vast distance that inmates covered by train.

Off The Margin: Portrayal of Slavery in Guru Prasad Mainali’s Short Fictions

Guru Prasad Mainali’s literary accomplishment Naso [The Ward] portrays the issues of slavery in the late 1920s in Nepal. The collection of eleven stories has two specific stories that deal with the issue of the former slaves: “Papko parinam” [The results of misdeeds] (1927) and “Naso” [The ward] (1935) depict the life of the people who once lived the life as slaves. Mainali draws his characters from Nepali society after Chandra Shumsher abolished slavery in Nepal in 1924. Mainali presents them in the most humane form, struggling to settle themselves into an organized society after their emancipation from the bondage of slavery. “Papko parinam” (1927) builds the world around their quest placing the former slaves at the center stage, while “Naso” (1935) pictures former slave Nauli in a functional role to bring Devi Raman’s first wife Subhadra back to her house from Kathmandu. Both stories leave traces of slavery and the issues surrounding the era of fundamental change in the history of Nepal. Mainali sets the events in the background of the change in the 1920s and unfolds his story of Devi Raman and Shubhadra in "Naso" and Kanta Padhya in "Papko Parinam." This paper rereads Mainali’s two fiction in the historical backdrop to get into the world of slavery as depicted in them and conclude that Nepali fiction has dealt with the issue of slavery in the 1920s.

Correction: “A Miraculous Sign!”? Vienna Through the Eyes of Hungarian-Jewish Slave Labourers

Correction: “A Miraculous Sign!”? Vienna Through the Eyes of Hungarian-Jewish Slave Labourers