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An international conference on Women in Slavery – In Honour of Suzanne Miers will be held in Avignon from 16-18 October 2002. It will examine the roles of women in slavery across all geographical regions of the world, in different systems of slavery (indigenous and imported) and over time periods from antiquity to contemporary times, as well as trades in female slaves and other means of acquiring them, and their tactics of ‘resistance’ and other accommodations to the positions in which they found themselves.
Themes, within the relatively recent Atlantic experience of slavery, to be covered in the conference may include:
- the economic importance and roles of the female slave (child and adult)
- the sexual role of the female slave
- slave relations : women-children ; female-female ; female-male
- women and the ‘slave family’
- slave women in the families of their masters
- ideology, religion and the female slave
- ‘memory’ and the female slave
- culture and the female slave
- the female slave in literature
- female resistance to slavery
- the role of the female slave rebel (her status; her function; female-male rebel relations during revolt and in the rebel camp)
- consequences of resistance for the female slave
- gender issues across the slave/master divide
However, participants are also invited to consider rethinking their planned presentations in the light of growing evidence from Asia, Africa, antiquity, and other slaving in world history that its practice focused more on females (and children) than the literature generally appreciates. Is it within the reach of this conference to reformulate definitions and theory away from the still-usual reference to “the slave” as “him”?
Those wishing to attend are invited to submit a title and a short outline of their paper in French or English by 1st May 2002. All papers accepted for the conference must reach the convenor by 1st September 2002 on disk (Word 6 or more recent) and on a hard copy. These will be made available to all participants. Authors will not be asked to present their papers personally at the conference. Rather, the conference will be organised in thematic sessions. Each session will be led by a discussant who will present a 30 minute summary of papers, relevant to the session topic - to be followed by discussion.
We reserve the right to cancel the registration of intending participants who fail to observe the above deadlines.
The conference includes a trip to the reputed Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards (wine-tasting) and a dinner, following the academic sessions.
A registration fee of 100 Euros (50 Euros for students) – or the equivalent in $US - is due by 30 June 2002 at the latest. Participants are expected to assume their own travel and accommodation costs, but we will supply letters of invitation and other documentation to facilitate your seeking funds to support your participation.
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