*Call For Papers: Slavery and Emancipation *

Wednesday 4th September to Friday 6th September 2013
MANCEPT Workshops in Political Theory, University of Manchester
http://manceptworkshops2013.wordpress.com/workshops-o-z/slavery-and-emancipation/

Historically, the institution of slavery was the focus of a great deal of
philosophical research. Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Wollstonecraft,
Bentham, Locke, Rousseau, Paine, Wilberforce, Grotius, Pufendorf,
Nietzsche, Marx, and many others, considered such topics as the definition
of slavery, the rightness or wrongness of slavery, which sorts of people
could or should be enslaved, and whether (and if so, when) they should be
emancipated.

In recent years, by contrast, philosophers have shown little interest in
slavery. Yet they have nonetheless produced a plethora of work on related
topics, such as freedom and equality. This is not because slavery is no
longer with us; indeed, according to some accounts there are more slaves
now than at any other time in history. Given that 2013 marks the 175th
anniversary of the final emancipation of all enslaved persons in the
British Empire, this seems an appropriate time to renew our philosophical
focus on slavery and on those who enslave and are enslaved.

Possible topics to be addressed include, but are not restricted to:
—What is slavery? How is slavery different from other forms of
unfreedom/inequality/labour etc?
—What was mistaken about historical arguments for slavery?
—How do we best explain the wrongness of slavery? Why were the actions of
slave
owners, slave traders, or those involved in the initial enslavement, wrong?
—Do people not involved in slavery have obligations to oppose slavery?
—Are slaves obliged to resist their own enslavement?
—Can a person consent to be a slave?
—What is the relationship between slavery and
sexism/racism/ableism/heteronormativity
etc?
—What do slave narratives tell us about the nature or wrongness of slavery
or about the
rightness of emancipation?
—What is emancipation?
—Who can emancipate whom, when, and from what?
—Is emancipation all that is owed to slaves? Does the legacy of slavery and
emancipation
require further action?

We welcome expressions of interest from graduate students, from junior
researchers, and from established scholars. If you are interested in
participating in this workshop, please submit, to both convenors, an
abstract of 500 to 1000 words (or a complete paper), by Friday 31st May
2013. We will expect a full version of your paper on Emancipation Day,
Thursday 1st August 2013. We hope this will give participants the
opportunity to read the papers in advance and to give and receive more
detailed feedback during the workshop.

Convenors:
Nathaniel Adam Tobias Coleman, [log in to unmask]
Simon Roberts-Thomson, [log in to unmask]

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