Unfreedom, Annual Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, February 6–8, 2020

The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies is accepting proposals for papers for the 2020 conference on “Unfreedom” to be held 6-8 February 2020 at the Tempe AZ of Arizona State University.

Unfreedom marked the lives of various people in the premodern world. Many factors played a role in shaping the forms of unfreedom prevalent in the premodern era: violence and coercion; shame and dishonor; disconnection of kin groups and destruction of social networks; and individual and collective strategies for economic, political, and social success that depended on the subjection of others.

This year’s conference will focus on those whose status was defined primarily in terms of unfreedom, coercion, and constraint rather than the enjoyment of freedoms or privileges, including but not limited to slaves, serfs, captives, prisoners, pledges, hostages, and forced marriage or concubinage. We welcome panels and papers that theorize and/or historicize the status of unfreedom in medieval and renaissance contexts.