06. March 2026

Call for Papers: Households as Coercive Labour Regimes II Call for Papers: Households as Coercive Labour Regimes II

We call for contributions to the upcoming international conference at the University of Bonn/Center for Slavery and Dependency Studies (BCDSS) from January 15-16, 2027

Historians have long identified the household as a fundamental building block of human society, essential in shaping social hierarchies and human dependencies. This conference aims to examine coercive labour regimes specifically through the lens of the household. For the purposes of this event, the household is defined by the relationship between a head and those within the unit under their patronage. In this context, kinship is considered secondary, as family members are not necessarily part of the household unit.

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We seek to explore larger household-type organizations where a head wields extensive, often absolute, power over its members. These units function as labour regimes based on asymmetrically dependent workforces. We invite case studies from various regions and time spans to facilitate a transcultural comparison that crosses the traditional divide between pre-modern and modern historiography. 

 

Submission Guidelines

Participants are invited to submit papers addressing a specific set of questions, including the definition of the household, mechanisms of entry and exit, the division of labour, and the unit's function as an economic or production entity.

Abstract Submission: Please submit an abstract of no more than 300 words by April 15, 2026 

See the full call