GRFDT

Perspectives on Historical and Contemporary Ransoming Practices, Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, York University, Toronto, on October 25-26, 2013

We are inviting proposals for a two-day Workshop on historical and contemporary ransoming practices in Africa, Europe, and Asia, to be held at the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, York University, Toronto, on October 25-26, 2013. This Workshop is in accordance with the mandate of the UNESCO Slave Route Project to establish a Research Network for the study of slavery in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Indian Ocean. Selected papers will be published in a special issue of the journal, African Economic History, and as an edited volume to be published in the Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora, Africa World Press. For purposes of the Workshop, ransoming is defined as the making of payments (in cash or kind) for the return of a captive or hostage. Ransoming is differentiated from redemption in that whereas a ransomed captive returns home, a redeemed slave usually remains in his/her former owner’s society in a subservient position. The purpose of this Workshop is to promote dialogue across regional and disciplinary divides between scholars working on different aspects of ransoming. In particular we are seeking to promote scholarship on ransoming that covers roughly the time period from the 16th through 21st centuries and that will provide a better understanding of the practices of ransoming and the role of ransoming in the economics of captivity and enslavement; the formation, exploitation, and alteration of social, ethnic, and religious identity; and of interactions of individuals across physical, social, ethnic, and religious boundaries. The co-chairs of the workshop are Jennifer Lofkrantz, Department of History, SUNY-Geneseo, Olatunji Ojo, Department of History, Brock University, and Paul Lovejoy, Tubman Institute and Department of History, York University. Enquiries can be made to either Jennifer Lofkrantz, [email protected], or Olatunji Ojo, [email protected]

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