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.
Launch of the BCDSS Library of Ancient Slavery
Get an insight of the launch of BCDSS' Library of Ancient Slavery.
Debt Bondage
Watch what playwright Natassa Sideri thinks about our reading and discussion evening on her play "Gefesselt"
Women's emanciption and Jewish assimilation
"All they wanted was to study..." exhibition opening at Frauenmuseum Bonn
Congratulations to Prof. Dr. Michael Max Paul Zeuske, who was elected Corresponding Member of the Academia Nacional de la Historia of Venezuela in April 2023. He was honored for his merits in the field of Latin American history and particularly in the field of Venezuelan history.
We are pleased to announce two new additions to our book series.
Volume 7: Current Trends in Slavery Studies in Brazil
This volume, edited by Prof. Dr. Stephan Conermann, Mariana Armond Dias Paes, Roberto Hofmeister Pich, and Paulo Cruz Terra, provides valuable insights into current trends in Brazilian slavery studies. In their articles, the authors demonstrate that the Atlantic slave trade to Brazil was unparalleled in the Americas, with over 4 million slaves brought from Africa to Brazil between 1530 and 1888, comprising 40% of all Africans transported to the continent. This massive influx has resulted in Brazil having a larger African-descended population than many African countries. Consequently, Slavery Studies have become a prominent field in Brazilian historiography, exploring topics such as slave agency, the legal and economic aspects of slavery, family dynamics, demographics, the transatlantic slave trade, abolition, and more. Recent research has expanded to cover illegal enslavement, global perspectives, gender, diverse social groups' involvement in the abolitionist movement, and Atlantic connections.
Download Volume 7 via Open Access
Volume 8 (forthcoming, expected July 2023): Naming, Defining, Phrasing Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies: A Textual Approach
Edited by Jeannine Bischoff, Prof. Dr. Stephan Conermann and Porf. Dr. Marion Gymnich, this volume explores the terminology used in historical contexts to describe individuals in positions of strong asymmetrical dependency, shedding light on social interactions. It analyzes narratives that either justify or challenge dependency and uncovers its presence in historical discourses. With contributions from various disciplines, including theology, global history, and legal history, the authors examine diverse textual sources and historical contexts – from medieval Scandinavia to contemporary human rights violations. In doing so, the articles of this volume contribute to Dependency Studies as a transdisciplinary approach to a deeper understanding of societies throughout history.
Announcement of Volume 8 on the homepage of De Gruyter
We are pleased to announce the publication of two more volumes in our book series.
Volume 5: Embodied Dependencies and Freedoms: Artistic Communities and Patronage in Asia
This volume, edited by Prof. Dr. Julia A. B. Hegewald, discusses the interconnectivity of dependencies and creativity in the field of Asian art and architecture, challenging the idea that the arts are completely free from reliance. The 13 chapters written by experts in the field illustrate how material artefacts and structures are dependent on factors such as climate, resources, social and religious traditions, and donors, with gender and labor also playing a role. Despite these dependencies, artists have been able to express their own imagination and originality, highlighting the complex and multifaceted nature of the relationship between dependencies and freedoms.
Download Volume 5 via Open Access
Volume 6: The Position of Roman Slaves: Social Realities and Legal Differences
Edited by Prof. Dr. Martin Schermaier, this volume explores the diversity of Roman slavery, challenging the assumption that all slaves were objects without rights and arguing that Roman slavery was more complex than this stereotype. In their articles, the authors discuss how legal texts reflected social differences within the servile community and whether the legal system reinforced social differentiation or generated privileges for specific groups of slaves. In doing so, they aim to challenge the homogeneous image of Roman slave law and demonstrate that it was more colorful than previously assumed. Moreover, the authors hope to make this legal diversity accessible to historical scholarship.
We are proud to announce a new fellowship program at the BCDSS.
Exciting news! The BCDSS Blog is now live, and we're thrilled to share our inaugural post with you.
BCDSS Professor Claudia Jarzebowski and student assistant Tobias Happ, together with the BCDSS PR Team, have designed a 15 minute "pop-up lesson" on the history of child labor in the 19th century as part of this year's Wissenschaftsrallye.
At this year’s Dies Academicus, there will be two public lectures by BCDSS members.
We're kindly inviting you to our event co-organized with the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Unit.
Contact Us
Managing Director: Jeannine Bischoff
Email: dependency@uni-bonn.de
Press and PR Manager: Cécile Jeblawei
Email: pr@dependency.uni-bonn.de
Address
University of Bonn
Niebuhrstraße 5
53113 Bonn
Heinz Heinen Kolleg for Advanced Studies (HHK)
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