Bearing Witness - Contemporary Slave Narratives and the Global Antislavery Movement

Based on a comprehensive analysis of over 200 contemporary slave narratives, this study foregrounds survivors' voices, illustrating that an anti-slavery movement that listens to the experiences of enslaved people can lead to important insights and enable the implementation of more effective interventions.

List of contents

Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. A narrated self: The contemporary slave narrative genre; 2. 'I was free, I still wasn't free': Defining freedom; 3. The construction and reconstruction of slave and survivor identities; 4. Bearing witness: Trauma in contemporary slave narratives; 5. Assuming 'full' freedom: Challenges in recovery; 6. Antislavery strategies and the survivor as activist; Conclusion; Appendix: Table of narratives analyzed; Bibliography; Index.

About the author

Andrea Nicholson is Associate Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations, and a member of the Rights Lab, University of Nottingham. Her research primarily concerns survivor testimony and the support frameworks in place for survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery. She has previously undertaken research and consultancy for a range of non-governmental and governmental organizations, including the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.

Product details

• Authors: Andrea Nicholson, Andrea (University of Nottingham) Nicholson
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 31.05.2025
• EAN: 9781009018470
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0901847-0
• No. of pages: 253
• Series: Slaveries since Emancipation
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Pre and early history; History, HISTORY / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, Archaeology, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, History and Archaeology, c 1945 to c 2000 (Post-war period)