Slavery Studies

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What is the Slavery Studies Programme and who is it for?

Slavery is one of the most inhuman conditions we can imagine, yet it has always been widespread and is still common today. It has carved an ugly but distinctive contour on every period of world history, and continues to define cultures, identities, and economies across the world.

Slavery Studies is a new course under development at UWC Mahindra College that looks at slavery from a multi-disciplinary perspective, going beyond what is normally taught in the classroom. We aim to help students understand and navigate the subject of slavery in a way that is wide-ranging, historically accurate, academically up-to-date, and morally grounded. We believe that education is a vital tool in the global fight to end slavery and oppression, and this course is designed in close alignment with the UWC Mission Statement.

How does it work?

This 14-day online course will include case studies in both historical and contemporary slavery from around the world, with case studies from the Caribbean, India, the Middle East and Russia. The special focus of this years course will be on rehabilitation of survivors of modern slavery. Students will engage with perspectives from sociology, history, economics, literature, music, history, cultural and legal studies. There will be readings accompanied by online interactive commentary, followed by a daily online seminar discussion conducted by facilitators. Students will also be asked to complete small and structured research projects and be invited to do a larger research project at the end of the course. There will also be guest lectures and engagement from alumni.

Warnings about the course: The realities of slavery are brutal, and learning about them can be traumatic. Students who apply for this course should be ready to read about and discuss racism, gender, caste, and other forms of violent oppression. The course also asks students to think carefully about their choice of words. Students should be prepared to have their ideas and assumptions challenged. Apologists or pro-slavery perspectives will not be allowed. You have to be between 16 to 19 years of age. Students aged up to 15 years can be considered on a case-to-case basis.

The focus areas in the past years have included:

Can slavery be defined? Should slavery be defined?
Philosophical, economic, and historical contexts
How does historical slavery continue to affect people today?
What can be done to fight contemporary slavery?
Slavery in India: how it relates to caste and colonialism.

Feedback

Slavery Studies was one of the classes that I enjoyed and learned the most during my thirteen-year education experience. One of the many reasons behind my claim is the course’s proactive nature. While many individuals do not know or chose to ignore the fact that slavery is a present-day problem, a problem to which we all contribute, Slavery Studies challenges apathy and encourages advocacy. The course does not only raise important questions about the status of slavery today, but also allows its students to understand the historical, economic, philosophical, and psychological background of slavery. These pieces of information guide students in recognizing modern slavery around them and its impacts on today’s world.