30. August 2024

Call for Papers: CfP: Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies - Perspectives from Asia, Past & Present

Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies: Perspectives from Asia, Past & Present

Since the global turn, research about strong asymmetrical dependencies across time and space (among which, but not limited to slavery, bondage, labor and coercion) has greatly expanded both conceptually and geographically. Asia, however defined, is certainly not the blind spot it once was in labor and slavery studies anymore. Yet, despite the pluralization recently generated by global labor and global slavery studies, Asia still remains marginal in many respects. Slavery in early-modern Asia, to mention only one example, is increasingly studied through the lens of European archives, and through European terms of what this slavery entailed, leaving aside the study of forms of exploitation and forced displacement that took place before, beside and beyond the European presence in Asia. What seems to be particularly missing in current discussions is an emic perspective from Asia; that is to say, a more granular and accurate view of the practices, norms and their evolutions, from existing vernacular sources (written, oral and material) and from the actor’s experiences, categories and worldviews. What also seems to be missing is a genuine accounting of Asian historiographies, as well as a proper assessment of the legacies and memories of these diverse phenomena in the contemporary societies of Asia.

Call for Papers Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies Perspectives from Asia, Past and Present, 06 – 08 May 2025 (1).png
Call for Papers Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies Perspectives from Asia, Past and Present, 06 – 08 May 2025 (1).png © BCDSS
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Organized by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies, this conference aims to address gaps in the study of slavery, bondage, coerced labor, and forced displacement across Asia. We invite scholars from various disciplines to contribute to a better understanding of the history, historiography, legacies, and current forms of these dependencies from an Asian perspective. We seek innovative historical case studies and contributions on topics like emic terminologies, memory, archival practices, and digital approaches. The conference will also explore the value and implications of adopting an "Asian perspective" in advancing scholarly dialogue and interdisciplinarity.

Conference Details

The conference will be structured around three different formats: paper presentations and discussions; thematic injections; and roundtables (including a strategic discussion about the future and the structuration of the field, and a discussion about digital approach in collaboration with representatives of the Exploring Slave Trade in Asia Network).   

Funding: The conference is funded by the BCDSS. Funding includes hotel nights in Bonn. As to transportation, we will have to prioritize researchers who do not have access to travel money. 
Expected outcome: The organizers plan to publish a selection of contributions either in a journal special issue or in one (or more) edited volume(s). 

Submission Details  

The selection process will be based on the relevance of individual papers in addressing the topics and questions raised by the conference, and on the ways in which they might dialogue with one another. We will be attentive to balancing topics, approaches, disciplines, time periods, and areas. We welcome contributions from established scholars as much as from early career researchers, and we particularly encourage scholars working in institutions across Asia to join in the discussion

Abstract Length: Maximum 500 words
Submission Deadline: 31 October, 2024
Announcement of selected contributions: 15 December, 2024

Organization

Anas Ansar, Jeannine Bischoff, Claude Chevaleyre, Emma Kalb, Christine Mae Sarito, Subin Nam, Lisa Phongsavath, Nabhojeet Sen & Elena Smolarz

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Go to the Full Call for Papers PDF

asiaconference@dependency.uni-bonn.de