The Indian Ocean World Centre (IOWC)‘s Network on Slavery, Bondage, and the Environment is a forum for academics intended connect and exchange ideas on how slavery and bonded experiences have impacted the regions around the Indian Ocean. As part of a global movement that seeks to analyze and repair colonial legacies of enslavement, the Network emphasizes how new dynamics, including environmental degradation, variabilities and changes to knowledge have impacted and alternated the “experiences of the enslaved, as well as their resistance and susceptibility to enslavement.” Underpinned in this conference was the central idea that climate change and ‘unfree’ labour are highly co-related, and labour exploitation soars during periods of high environmental uncertainty and stress.
From May 24th to May 26th, the Network hosted their first conference and workshop in conjunction with McGill University to agglomerate research that explored links between slavery, the environment and exploitation. Ultimately, they sought to navigate ethical issues and challenges that could inform contemporary policy shifts and future challenges, particularly in the IOW region. Conducted online, the entire conference can be viewed as a series virtually here:
Feature Image: Wave Clouds Over Southern Indian Ocean (NASA, International Space Station, 03/25/12). “Wave Clouds Over Southern Indian Ocean (NASA, International Space Station, 03/25/12)” by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Asad Jessani
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