ANTHR 2428 - [Slavery and Human Trafficking]

(HB) (CA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits.

Next offered 2014-2015.

M. Fiskesjö.

In this course we will study slavery and trafficking in human slaves in the world today, as well as its roots and history in Asia, Africa, as well as in medieval Scandinavia, and in America and Europe today. We will make use of anthropological perspectives to look at influential historical and Classical definitions of slavery, such as Aristotle’s idea of the “natural slave,” and ask how ownership and domination over fellow humans have been justified in different societies. While introducing themes of gender, race, ethnicity, etc., and basic philosophical issues regarding autonomy and dependence, we also examine the economic forces of exploitation in the floating world of economic migration, people smuggling, and human trafficking.