ANTHR 2428 - Slavery and Human Trafficking

(SBA-AS)

Fall. 4 credits.

M. Fiskesjö.

In this course we study world slavery and trafficking today, as well as the roots and history of slavery across the world. We use anthropological perspectives to examine justifications of slavery, such as Aristotle’s infamous idea of the “natural” slave, and how ownership and domination over fellow humans have been organized and justified in Asia, Africa, America and Europe. Introducing themes of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc., as well as issues of autonomy and dependence, the “master-slave dialectic,” and the re-naming of slaves, we also examine the current world of economic migration, people smuggling, human trafficking and the sex trade, and why slavery keeps returning in today’s world. The course will also include field trips in our region.