Overview

Was there slavery in Australia and its wider region? This topic will critically explore questions of slavery, bondage, and other forms of unfreedom in the colonies of Australia and the Indo-Pacific from the late 18th to early 20th centuries and reflect on their legacies today. The topic will consider the … For more content click the Read More button below. Taking an intersectional approach, areas of study will include the great debates around convict labour as a form of slavery; the dispossession of Indigenous peoples and their use as unpaid or coerced workers; Melanesian peoples who were indentured or ‘blackbirded’ (stolen) and placed under harsh conditions to work in Queensland; and the movement of slaves and convicts in the Indian Ocean. It will examine the global flows of unfree, coerced and convict labour and the various antislavery, humanitarian, and anti-colonial movements that sought to put a stop to these conditions. The topic will pay attention to the experiences and voices of those caught up in these flows of enslavement, bondage, and unfreedom. Using rich textual and visual archives, we will consider questions of slavery, unfreedom and historical redress as expressed in popular culture, including in media, film, protest, and museums. This topic will open a portal onto urgent questions of slavery, memory and redress and reflect on how these shape debates on modern slavery today.

Topic availabilities

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Tuition pattern

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Aims

This topic supports students to:

  • Develop an understanding of various forms of slavery and unfreedom in the Australian and Indo-Pacific world in historical, political, and global context from the late 18th century to the present
  • Identify the definitions and debates around slavery and unfreedom from the Atlantic world to the Australian and Indo-Pacific world, which have developed over time
  • Critically examine the impact of slavery and unfreedom on the lives various groups of convicted, bonded, and enslaved peoples through an intersectional analysis or their experiences
  • Analyse slavery and unfreedom as expressed in popular culture and memory today, including in the media, film, protest, exhibitions, and museums
  • Interrogate and reflect on contemporary processes of redress and apology in settler and post-slavery societies, and how they shape debates on modern slavery today

Learning outcomes

On completion of this topic you will be expected to be able to:
1.
Assess various forms of slavery and unfreedom in the Australian and Indo-Pacific world over time
2.
Evaluate slavery and unfreedom in Australian and Indo-Pacific region and address their legacies today
3.
Compare insights from a range of historians who have examined slavery and unfreedom in the region and within global flows of labour
4.
With your peers, build an inclusive, culturally sensitive learning environment, and develop as an independent learner and thinker

Assessments

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Current students should refer to FLO for detailed assessment information, including due dates. Assessment information is accurate at the time of publishing.

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