International PhD Seminar on Slavery, Servitude & Extreme Dependency

We invite applications to participate in an upcoming PhD seminar on slavery and extreme dependency, to be hosted by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) at the University of Bonn on 30 and 31 October 2023.

This distinctive seminar is the result of the close cooperation between Bonn University’s Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS), the Leiden Slavery Studies Association (LSSA) at Leiden University, and the University of Hull’s Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation. In light of the recent explosion of academic and public interest in historical and modern cases of slavery, servitude, and other forms of extreme dependency, these three institutions are committed to organizing joint activities aimed at cross-pollination and the promotion of new avenues of inquiry into these important themes. This seminar has now been in existence for several years, and has been a great success.

The seminar is specifically aimed at PhD (and junior postdoctoral) researchers from Bonn, Leiden, and Hull, but we invite applications from other universities as well, as long as their research covers any aspect of slavery, servitude, or extreme dependency in any geographical setting and any time period. We welcome both research proposals and more advanced works (e.g., a dissertation chapter or article), as well as papers that give an overview of the project in its entirety.

Participants will be expected to have a very rough draft paper (approximately 5,000 words) ready for pre-circulation to the rest of the group by Monday, 16 October 2023. At the seminar itself they will present their paper and contextualize it within their broader research project in 15 minutes. Each presentation will be chaired by an expert in the field and followed by a group discussion of approximately 30 minutes, providing extensive opportunities for feedback.

Applicants are invited to submit their proposals, consisting of a 250-word abstract and a CV, no later than Friday, 30 June 2023. These should be addressed and sent to the PhD Coordinator, Laura Hartmann.

Please note that the BCDSS is able to provide reimbursement for travel costs but not for accommodation.

For further information, please contact Laura Hartmann.