All Events

This workshop is organised in honour of two medieval historians – Alheydis Plassmann and Björn Weiler – who spent their careers championing comparative approaches to the political culture of high medieval Europe (c. 1000-1300). Compared to earlier centuries, historians tend to remain in their own national academic ‘sub-tribes’ for this part of the Middle Ages, a consequence of the sheer variety and amount of evidence that scholars have access to from the turn of the millennium, but also of a legacy of national historical narratives, inherited from the nineteenth century, concerned with the development of the nation state. The workshop will aim to honour the legacy of these two historians by bringing together established and early-career scholars to consider how we can further our understanding of the relationship between power and dependency in medieval politics beyond a national framework.

How did late Romans experience disasters and military conflicts? Many scholars argue that these events contributed to the Empire's decline. However, this presentation offers a different perspective, focusing on how disasters affected individuals and their relationships. How did disasters impact social networks and force people into new dependencies? The talk will explore these questions and suggest that outcomes for survivors were often influenced by emerging structures of dependency, such as the ransom market.

Brazilian histories of indigenous and black slaveries provide a particularly rich source for understanding dependency categories. From the 16th century onwards, indigenous people were enslaved and subjected to forced labor and political subjugation. African slaves were brought to Brazil as early as 1530, with abolition only in 1888. During those centuries, Brazil received more than 4,000,000 Africans, over four times as many as any other American destination. In the second edition of the Conference “Current Trends in Slavery Studies in Brazil”, invited speakers will provide further characterizations of historical scholarship in Brazil, focusing on new areas of study: the relationship between Church and slavery, law and slavery, and science and slavery - including recent research on labor history, as well as a comparative approach of Brazilian and African (Angolan) history. Find the program below. To register, please send an email to Jan Hörber (events@dependency.uni-bonn.de).

Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies: Perspectives from Asia, Past & Present This event addresses the underrepresentation of Asia in labor and slavery studies by focusing on the histories, legacies, and current forms of dependency, slavery, bondage, coerced labor, and forced displacement in Asia. We invite scholars and researchers from all disciplines to submit innovative case studies and contributions on emic perspectives, historiography, memory, archival practices, and digital approaches. The conference will feature paper presentations, thematic sessions, and roundtables, including discussions on the future of the field and digital methodologies. Abstract Submission Deadline: October 31, 2024 Selected Contributions Announced: December 15, 2024 Draft Papers Due: 1 month before the event Funding: Hotel accommodations in Bonn are covered; travel funding prioritizes those without access to travel funds.