The proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly of the
International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery
and its Abolition during 2004, marked the culmination of recent
efforts to re-engage with slavery’s past. Over the past
decade, there has been an upsurge of national and international
exhibitions and conferences on the impact of slavery, such as
UNESCO’s Slave Route Project. Yet, these efforts have
largely focused on the Atlantic World, raising questions about
the legacy of slavery in other societies. In Asia, the Pacific
and Europe, slavery still remains on the margins of national
and post-colonial histories. Despite deep and widespread public
outrage, slavery continues to affect some 27 million people
worldwide today (and that is more people than at any point in
the history of humanity), persisting under new forms of massive
violations of the human rights – bonded labour, child
labour, prostitution, slavery by descent, trafficking etc.
This one day conference seeks to bring together
scholars from history, literature, anthropology, art history
and cultural studies to examine the indelible mark left by slavery
on societies, cultures and peoples all over the world and the
artistic and literary attempts by artistes and writers to mitigate
this stigmata of History and reclaim their “slave ancestry”.
Keynote speakers
Professor Patrick Manning,
Director, World History Centre, Northeastern University, Boston
Associate Professor Bill Ashcroft, University of New South Wales
Convenor
Dr Maria-Suzette Fernandes Dias, Centre
for Cross-Cultural Research, ANU
E: maria-suzette.fernandesdias@anu.edu.au
T : (02) 6125 9879
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Contact us
Suzanne Groves, Reception
Centre for Cross Cultural Research
Australian National University
Liversidge Street, Acton
E: ccr.admin@anu.edu.au
T : (02) 6125 2434
F: (02) 6248 0054
Register online (registration closed)