The conference explores the history of convict labour from a global and long-term (1500-2010) perspective.
The work of inmates is considered in all its historical manifestations: aboard the galleys, in penal transportation, in penitentiary and chain gangs and in concentration and labour camps. Moreover, convict labour is viewed in its connection with other forms of unfree labour and with free labour.
The three sessions respectively deal with: the genealogies of convict labour; the impact of colonialism, ethnicity and racialism on convict labour; and the place of convict labour in governmentality.
The conference is made possible through support from the International Institute of Social History (IISG) and the Instituut voor Oorlogs-, Holocaust- en Genocide-Studies (NIOD).
Convenors: Christian De Vito (IISG, The Netherlands) and Alex Lichtenstein (Indiana University, USA).
