The book series of the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies publishes monographs and edited volumes that examine different phenomena of slavery and other forms of strong asymmetrical dependencies in societies. The series follows the BCDSS's research agenda in going beyond the dichotomy of slavery versus freedom by proposing a new key concept, strong asymmetrical dependency, which covers all forms of bondage across time and space. This includes debt bondage, convict labor, tributary labor, servitude, serfdom, and domestic work, as well as forms of wage labor and various types of patronage. Works published in this series will also investigate periods, regions and contexts in world history that have not been directly affected by Western colonization, such as the ancient Near East, pre-modern and modern societies in Asia, Africa, and the pre-colonial Americas.
Language Policy Dependency and Slavery Studies
With its mission to explore phenomena of asymmetrical dependency, the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) and its book series Dependency and Slavery Studies work against forms of gatekeeping which may put obstacles in the way of scholarly work in English felt to be non-standard. The Center and its book series understand language to be intimately connected to power structures and strive to foster an awareness of epistemic dependencies resulting from linguistic dependencies. Given that language is multiply situated and constantly evolving, the editors of Dependency and Slavery Studies do not insist on conformity to the traditional binary standard Englishes (British and American). Authors are thus encouraged to write in their national or regional variety of English.
