Focusing on the contemporary epoch, from the end of the Second World War to the present day, this volume surveys the history of slavery, labor coercion, and related forms of exploitation in the wake of the globalization of abolitionist rhetoric and humanitarian action ushered in by the drafting and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From 1948 onward, no state or nation could defend or uphold the legality of slavery. Yet by the end of the twentieth century, exploitative and coercive labor systems and human trafficking appeared more widespread than ever before. With the spread of independence movements around the world, nationalists and religious leaders co-opted the eighteenth- and nineteenth century abolitionist vocabulary of liberation. But the rise of neoliberal capitalist economics from the 1970s recreated systems of inequality and subordination, exposing hundreds of millions to new forms of coercion. In the face of the rapid expansion of national, regional, and global human trafficking networks, the socio-political dynamics of anti-slavery activism continues to evolve.

Authors in this volume examine questions regarding slavery and human trafficking from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, and include national and regional case studies, as well as transnational and global analyses. Because of the contemporary nature of this sixth and final volume, chapters are from different disciplinary, transdisciplinary, and interdisciplinary perspectives, including, law, criminology, history, sociology, political science, education, and anthropology.

A Cultural History of Slavery and Human Trafficking is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available as hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a tangible reference for their shelves or as part of a fully-searchable digital library. The digital product is available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access via www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com . Individual volumes for academics and researchers interested in specific historical periods are also available in print or digitally via www.bloomsburycollections.com.