Welcome to the Cluster of Excellence at the
Bonn Center for Dependency & Slavery Studies
"Beyond Slavery and Freedom:
Asymmetrical Dependencies in Pre-Modern Societies"
We are a research cluster within the framework of the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.
We investigate profound social dependencies such as slavery, serfdom, debt bondage, and other forms of permanent dependency across epochs, regions and cultures.
Our focus lies "beyond slavery and freedom", i.e. we aim to overcome the binary opposition of "free" and "unfree".
Instead, we propose the new key concept of "asymmetrical dependency" to explore all forms of bondages across time and space.
Reading & Discussion with Mareice Kaiser
What we do with money and what money does to us
Exploring the intricate web of dependencies and emotions woven into the fabric of financial relationship
The BCDSS is accepting papers for the two international conferences that will take place at the Departamento de Historia de la Universidad de La Habana on September 12–13 and Universidad de Cienfuegos on September 20-21, 2024.
We're delighted that Professor Steeve Buckridge (Grand Valley State University, MI) will give the keynote lecture as part of the SOCARE EARLY-CAREER SYMPOSIUM 2024: (Im)materiality, new archives and the Caribbean
The Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies calls for applications for the Euthenia Fellowship Program.
Don't miss the upcoming exhibition Counter Thoughts, Counter Images by Cheryl McIntosh, a Jamaican-born artist living in Bonn! The exhibition is the result of the 'Active Remembrance Culture' project, which aims to highlight themes of colonialism, racism, resistance, and recognition, particularly in Bonn's history.
BCDSS Professor Claudia Jarzebowski and BCDSS Principal Investigator Michael Zeuske share some impressions from the event.
The Screening & Discussion of the Documentary “Midwives” is part of a two-day event series marking International Women’s Day 2024.
"Without us, where would they go?"
"Midwives", the award-winning documentary by Myanmar film maker Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing is set in the aftermath of the 2017 violent ethnic conflicts between the (Buddhist) Myanmar military and the (Muslim) Rohingya minority in the Rakhine state of Western Myanmar.
The story follows the fortunes of a Rakhine Buddhist Woman and founder of a rural antenatal clinic and her Muslim Rohingya apprentice. The film delivers a nuanced portrait in which the clinic acts as a microcosm of contemporary Myanmar. With an eye toward peace and reconciliation, the film reveals how categorical markers of social difference, including ethnicity, religion and gender, contribute to forming and perpetuating dependency relations.
The discussion will explore these intersectional dependencies.
“Midwives”, Myanmar, Germany | 2022 | 89:00 min | Burmese with English subtitles | link to trailer
This workshop is part of a two-day event series jointly organized by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) and the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn.
The "Islamic Feminisms and Dependency" workshop delves into the intersection of gender, war, and modern Arabic literature, with a focus on Islamic feminism and highlights Prof. Cooke's exploration of "multiple critique" within Islamic feminism, relevant to asymmetrical dependency research. Pre-circulated readings include excerpts from "Women Claim Islam" and an article on "Hijab Activism." Discussions and a coffee break are included in the program.
In essence, the workshop initiates discussions on the relationship between Islamic feminist thought, intersectionality, and asymmetrical dependency research.
Thursday, March 7, 2024 I 13:00 – 16.30 CET
Bonner Universitätsforum, Heussallee 18-24, 53113 Bonn (with hybrid option).
BCDSS Research Group Leader Dr. Christian Mader's latest article "An integrative approach to ancient agricultural terraces and forms of dependency" has been published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology.
Contact Us
Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS)
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Managing Director: Jeannine Bischoff
Email: dependency@uni-bonn.de
Press and PR Manager: Cécile Jeblawei
Email: pr@dependency.uni-bonn.de
or pr-support@dependency.uni-bonn.de
Address
University of Bonn
Niebuhrstraße 5
53113 Bonn
Center for Advanced Studies (Fellowship Programs)
Coordination: Sarah Dusend
Email: researchandstudy@dependency.uni-bonn.de
Deputy: Laura Hartmann
Email: l.hartmann@dependency.uni-bonn.de
Address
University of Bonn
Heussallee 18–24
53113 Bonn