2017 Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Genders and Sexualities

June 01 - 04, 2017

Building on existing literature in slavery studies, this panel focuses on the historical reconfigurations of the relationship between slavery and marriage. There is now a rich literature on the transformations of African slavery (Lovejoy 2011; Rossi 2009) and on the relationship between slavery and gender in Africa (e.g. Klein and Robertson 1983; Romero 1987; Miller, Miers, and Campbell, 2007; Rodet 2009; Lovejoy 1990; Lovejoy and Hogendorn 1993). Less literature exists that critically interrogates contemporary slavery and historicizes its practices. A notable exception is Roberts and Lawrance (2012) who showed recently that contemporary forms of trafficking in women are not new phenomena, but evolutions of practices rooted in the longue durée of African history. And Bunting, Lawrance, and Roberts’ edited volume Marriage by Force? (2016) inquires into historical and contemporary manifestations of the tension between consent and coercion in marriage. These recent publications are appearing at the same time as policy makers worldwide are acknowledging the urgent need to act against forms of gender-based violence in African wars. The time is opportune, therefore, for this workshop to contribute to knowledge on slavery, marriage, forced labor, and autonomy. The session includes work across geographic region (Angola, Uganda and Jamaica, for instance) and temporal periods. A number of the authors also collaborate with non-academic partners on the topic and draw on these engagements in their papers.