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.
Reading & Discussion with Anne Haeming
Video out now!
The Life of Wilhelm Joest
Watch our short clip about the reading and discussion with Anne Haeming as part of our (UN)ABHÄNGIGE ANSICHTEN series from 15 February 2024.
Anne Haeming was queried on the challenges of writing about an imperial actor like Wilhelm Joest from today's perspective.
Für die Zusammenarbeit mit dem Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis (IISG) suchen wir zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt und für ca. 19 Stunden die Woche eine studentische (SHK, im BA Studium) oder wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft (WHF, im MA Studium) (m/w/d).
For our cooperation with the Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis (IISG) we are looking for a student assistant (SHK, in the BA programme) or research assistant (WHF, in the MA programme) (m/f/d) for approx. 19 hours per week as soon as possible.
25 March marks the International Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade Remembrance Day.
We regularly invite renowned international scholars from across the world to present their ongoing research related to asymmetrical dependency and slavery. In return we offer the possibility to publish a revised version of their lectures as part of our Joseph C. Miller Memorial Lecture Publications.
See what's coming up between April and June 2024!
The BCDSS is accepting papers for the two international conferences that will take place at the Departamento de Historia de la Universidad de La Habana on September 12–13 and Universidad de Cienfuegos on September 20-21, 2024.
We're delighted that Professor Steeve Buckridge (Grand Valley State University, MI) will give the keynote lecture as part of the SOCARE EARLY-CAREER SYMPOSIUM 2024: (Im)materiality, new archives and the Caribbean
The Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies calls for applications for the Euthenia Fellowship Program.
Don't miss the upcoming exhibition Counter Thoughts, Counter Images by Cheryl McIntosh, a Jamaican-born artist living in Bonn! The exhibition is the result of the 'Active Remembrance Culture' project, which aims to highlight themes of colonialism, racism, resistance, and recognition, particularly in Bonn's history.
Contact Us
Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS)
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Managing Director: Jeannine Bischoff
Email: dependency@uni-bonn.de
Press and PR Manager: Cécile Jeblawei
Email: pr@dependency.uni-bonn.de
or pr-support@dependency.uni-bonn.de
Address
University of Bonn
Niebuhrstraße 5
53113 Bonn
Center for Advanced Studies (Fellowship Programs)
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