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Description
This module looks at slavery, abolition, and emancipation in nineteenth and twentieth century Africa. Between the 1830s and the beginning of the twentieth century African and European powers legally abolished slavery. However, research on the 'slow death of slavery' shows that the process of emancipation took a long time. Colonial governments introduced new forms of unfree labour, and old dependent relations changed gradually and at different paces in different contexts. Today, slavery and trafficking have not ended, and pro-slavery ideologies, although rare, have not entirely disappeared. This module focuses on the historical experience and agency of enslaved Africans amidst changing legal contexts, interlocking local and global hierarchies, gender ideologies, colonial forced labour and its reform, marginalisation of slave descendants, and anti-slavery mobilisation. Students will explore the transformations of slavery from legally regulated institution to crime. They will investigate and discuss both specific historical dynamics and broader questions about the meanings of slavery and freedom in African societies.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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