Events

Alexander von Humboldt and "modern slavery". Slavery as Capitalism and the Global History of Labor

When? 26.08.2021, 18:00 – 20:00
Where? HU Berlin, North Campus, open air stage (access via Philippstr. 13, 10115 Berlin)

When Alexander von Humboldt came to Spanish America in 1799, he was enthusiastic about the nature of the tropics. At the same time, already in the first place, Cumaná, but also in whole northern Venezuela as well as Cuba, he came to an area of new plantations and Atlantic slave trade as well as smuggling. The previous periphery of the Spanish Empire developed into the territory of the then most modern slavery on its own industrial and social basis; a real slavery-capitalism (Second Slavery). Humboldt studied this slavery-capitalism as well as its industrial basis (sugar mills) very intensively with his hosts. This can be read especially in his diaries (www.avhumboldt.de). After his return in 1804 and after intensive environmental studies on abolitionism, Humboldt became a resolute representative of global free labor, an anti-racist and an anti-colonialist.

With: Prof. Dr. Michael Zeuske, Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies. The discussion will be moderated by THESys postdoc Dr. Theresa Frommen.

The event is part of the Wissensstadt Berlin and HU's Open Humboldt Festival.

Registration