Copyright: Agostino Brunias, Linen Market, Dominica, c. 1780. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection,
Acc. No. B1981.25.76
The conference (Un)Freedom in Global Perspective. Actors – Perceptions – Agencies explores individuals and communities characterized as unfree, such as in slavery, captivity, serfdom, and imprisonment. The aim is to challenge static and binary concepts of freedom and unfreedom, analyzing the nuances of agency across local, regional, and global frameworks of the early modern and modern period. How were forms of (un)freedom perceived? What strategies did individuals and communities employ to resist, escape, or redefine unfreedom? How did transitions between freedom and unfreedom shape personal and collective identities?
Bringing together diverse case studies, the conference seeks to identify overarching trends and their manifestations across various spaces and contexts. By examining nuanced experiences of (un)freedom, it aims to foster comparative perspectives and to offer new insights into the historical continuities, transformations, and experiences of (un)freedom.
