Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies
Perspectives from Asia
More
© BCDSS
Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies
Dies Academicus
New Publication "Dependent"
Discovery Grant Award

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.      

BCDSS 2024: A Year in Highlights

Bild © Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies / YouTube

BCDSS 2024: A Year in Highlights

2024 was filled with milestones. Watch our highlights video to see what we accomplished together – thank you for being part of our journey!

Enmeshed & Entwined: FABRICS OF DEPENDENCY

Bild © Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies / YouTube

BCDSS exhibition launches digitally!

What can textiles – coarse cloth or fine silks, work and household linen, clothes in different styles and fashions – tell us about different forms of dependency: enslavement, serfdom, forced labour, or in our own day, factory work in the Global South?

Visit our digital exhibition ‘Enmeshed and Entwined: Fabrics of Dependency/Verstrickt und Verwoben: Texturen der Abhängigkeit’ and let our "quilted narratives" help you explore these and further questions.

News
© BCDSS
7
New Article by Alice Toso7
You can now read the most recent article by BCDSS Investigator Alice Toso et al. online!
Apr 29, 2025 7
© BCDSS
8
Juneteenth Lecture with Kinohi Nishikawa: What Comes before the Haunting?8
The afterlife of slavery is one of the most powerful heuristics guiding the study of the social, historical, political, and cultural effects of transatlantic slavery in the Americas. Coined by the scholar and critic Saidiya Hartman, who herself builds on the work of Hazel V. Carby and Hortense Spillers, the afterlife of slavery identifies the ways in which American civic and popular culture, public and private life, are haunted by the traumas not only of chattel slavery but also of the unfinished project of abolition. Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987) is routinely cited as both an inspiration for and exemplum of this interpretive lens. However, over twenty years after the publication of the novel, Morrison grappled with the question of whether one could imagine life outside the parameters of what would come to be known as the afterlife of slavery. In A Mercy (2008), we see Morrison fabulating social intimacy and social conflict beyond, which is to say before, a predetermined fate. This lecture assesses the compatibility of this fictional project with the afterlife of slavery, with special attention to records showing how Morrison guided the publication of her book.
Apr 27, 2025 8
© M. Cecilia Bogado & BCDSS
9
Interdisciplinary Workshop9
Humans have long relied on animals to survive and build societies, yet these entanglements, and their impact on human relationships, are often understudied. With current debates around the Anthropocene and shifts in Humanities and Social Sciences, it’s vital to include ecological perspectives in studying colonization, slavery, and asymmetrical dependencies.The interdisciplinary workshop  "Entangled Lives", will explore these dynamics, focusing on Indigenous experiences and diverse regions across the Americas. Prof. Marcy Norton (University of Pennsylvania), author of The Tame and the Wild: People and Animals after 1492, will deliver the keynote as part of the Joseph C. Miller Memorial Lecture Series. We’ll discuss familiarization, embodied knowledge, dependency, and human-animal bonds shaped by local ecologies.Read the full Workshop Booklet here
Apr 15, 2025 9
© BCDSS
10
Dies Academicus: Case Studies in Human Dependency across Place and Time10
Join us at the University of Bonn's Dies Academicus on 14 May, where BCDSS Fellows Evelyn Hu-De Hart, Christine Whyte, and Aleksander Paradziński will provide insights into their current research projects. 
Apr 13, 2025 10
© BCDSS
11
New publication in DSS Series by Julia A. B. Hegewald11
We're delighted to announce the publication of Jaina Culture in Medieval Karnataka: Dominance, Dependency and Endurance, edited by BCDSS Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Julia A.B. Hegewald.
Apr 10, 2025 11
© BCDSS
12
CfP: Knowledge Dependencies and the Un/Making of Equitable Futures12
Amid escalating geopolitical instability, authoritarian retrenchments, and the deepening securitisation of knowledge-making, this conference critically examines how entrenched knowledge dependencies continue to shape practices of future-making—and how more equitable futures might still be (re)imagined. From the weaponisation of AI to the erosion of indigenous, activist, and academic freedoms, and the constraints of donor-driven agendas, we ask: How is knowledge circulation mediated? Under what conditions have alternative epistemic futures emerged—in the longue durée and within present formations? With keynotes by Dr. Lisa Tilley (SOAS, University of London) & Prof. AbdouMaliq Simone (University of Sheffield & University of Turin, online)
Apr 09, 2025 12
© BCDSS
13
New Publication by World Christianity Studies & Asymmetrical Dependency (WCSAD) Working Group13
We are pleased to announce the publication of the new "Roundtable" on World Christianity and Asymmetrical Dependency in the Journal of World Christianity, Volume 15, Issue 1!
Apr 03, 2025 13
© BCDSS
14
International Lunch Seminar14
The International Lunch Seminar "Bondage, Resistance, and Violence in Angola, 1600s-1880s: Centering Women in Histories of Slavery," will take place on Friday, June 6, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:30 PM at Heussallee 18-24 (room 1.100). 
Mar 31, 2025 14
Events
© Niniane Waldmann
Monday May 05, 2025
16
Intersecting Subjections in South Asian Pasts16
University Club Bonn e. ...
05:00 PM - 08:00 PM
We are pleased to invite you to a keynote lecture by Indrani Chatterjee from the University of Virginia as part of the conference Strong Asymmetrical ...
16
© Daniela Berrío Domínguez
Tuesday May 06, 2025 until May 08, 2025
17
Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies: Perspectives from Asia17
Heussallee 18-24 ...
10:00 AM
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 ...
17
© BCDSS
Monday May 12, 2025
18
Joseph C. Miller Memorial Lecture by Ying Zhang18
Hybrid event: ...
04:15 PM - 05:45 PM
How did jailing function in Ming China? This talk, based on Ying Zhan's book, rethinks the patrimonial bureaucratic system through the lens of vulnerability ...
18
© BCDSS
Wednesday May 14, 2025
19
Dies Academicus: Case Studies in Human Dependency19
University Main Building
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Join us at the University of Bonn's Dies Academicus on 14 May, where BCDSS Fellows Evelyn Hu-De Hart, Christine Whyte, and Aleksander Paradziński will provide ...
19
© BCDSS
Monday May 19, 2025
20
Joseph C. Miller Memorial Lecture by Yolanda Pierce20
Online via Zoom
04:15 PM - 05:45 PM
What do we do with the wounds of a people and a nation? Like the doubting disciple who longed to touch Jesus's side, we must confront wounds, understanding ...
20
© BCDSS
Wednesday May 21, 2025
21
California, A Slave State: Reading/Discussion with Jean Pfaelzer21
Uni Bonn Festsaal, Am ...
06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Join Jean Pfaelzer for the reading and discussion of her book "California, A Slave State" with Damian Pargas (Professor of the History and Culture of North ...
21
© BCDSS
Wednesday May 28, 2025
22
Guest Lecture with Toby Green22
Festsaal at the ...
04:00 PM - 06:30 PM
This talk explores the life of Crispina Peres, the most powerful trader in Cacheu, a key West African slave port, who was arrested by the Inquisition in 1665. ...
22
© BCDSS
Friday Jun 06, 2025
23
International Lunch Seminar23
Heussallee 18-24
12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Join us for The International Lunch Seminar titled "Bondage, Resistance, and Violence in Angola, 1600s-1880s: Centering Women in Histories of Slavery," ...
23

Contact Us 

Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS)

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Managing Director: Jeannine Bischoff29
Email: dependency@uni-bonn.de

Press and PR Manager: Cécile Jeblawei30
Email: pr@dependency.uni-bonn.de

Address

University of Bonn
Niebuhrstraße 5
53113 Bonn  

BCDSS Fellowship Programs

Address

University of Bonn
Heussallee 18–24
53113 Bonn

Links

  1. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/third-mission/diversity-equity-inclusion/home
  2. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/research/publications
  3. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/videos-and-recordings
  4. https://dependency.blog
  5. https://dependency.blog/reflections-on-the-memorial-landscape-of-amsterdam-from-a-slavery-and-dependency-perspective
  6. https://dependency.blog/rethinking-unfreedom-in-global-perspective-insights-from-the-innsbruck-conference
  7. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/new-article-by-alice-toso
  8. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/juneteenth-lecture-what-comes-before-the-haunting
  9. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/entangled-lives-exploring-the-inter-dependency-between-people-and-animals-in-the-americas
  10. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/dies-academicus
  11. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/new-publication-in-dss-series-by-julia-a-b-hegewald
  12. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/cfp-knowledge-dependencies-and-the-un-making-of-equitable-futures
  13. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/new-publication-by-world-christianity-sudies-asymmetrical-dependency-wcsad-working-group
  14. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/international-lunch-seminar
  15. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/news-bcdss/all-news
  16. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events/intersecting-subjections-in-south-asian-pasts
  17. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events/strong-asymmetrical-dependencies-perspectives-from-asia
  18. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events/joseph-c-miller-memorial-lecture-by-ying-zhang
  19. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events/dies-academicus-case-studies-in-human-dependency
  20. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events/joseph-c-miller-memorial-lecture-by-yolanda-pierce
  21. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/outreach/events/california-a-slave-state-reading-discussion-with-jean-pfaelzer
  22. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events/guest-lecture-with-toby-green
  23. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events/international-lunch-seminar
  24. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/events
  25. https://listen.uni-bonn.de/wws/subscribe/dependencystudies
  26. https://www.facebook.com/DependencyBonn
  27. https://www.instagram.com/dependencybonn/
  28. https://bsky.app/profile/dependencybonn.de
  29. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/management/managing-director
  30. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/management/press-and-pr-manager
  31. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/management/head-of-research-and-study
  32. https://www.dependency.uni-bonn.de/en/about-us/people/management/phd-coordinator