I've been hearing more and more about all the Irish that were pretty much sold into "indentured servitude" - basically serfs/slaves that were abused just as badly as any other slave population - all over the UK, the multitude of Colonies, Australia, the Americas, the Caribbean islands. They were a much abused people for quite a while. You see all the serving class in stories with Irish brogue accents because they were the long-time go to for the underclass, downtrodden, masses that were ground up in the gears of industry and mercantilism.
MY PEOPLES! Well... I'm, at most, a quarter Irish (I think) with a mix of Scots, English, French, Dutch, and likely a pinch of Viking thrown in for good measure making up the balance.
I had this big back and forth discussion on Twitter not that long ago when I asked if there was some sort of historical compendium of slavery (in its various forms, whether called serf, indentured servant, or slave, and various hierarchies) across the ages - from earliest civilizations onward (not just concentrated on Hellenistic / Western European cultures, either.) One that discussed the cultural/societal/economic underpinnings and justifications for its use/existence/proliferation/continuation. NO SUCH THING EXISTS, AND IT SHOULD.
The best you'll find are mostly less than thorough analyses and historical overviews of specific time periods tied to only small portions of what has always been a global, endemic trade of flesh and misery for profit.
There's a fantastic song that I've got on one of my regular playlists that always makes me think of this historical divide between rulers/owners and subjects/workers/slaves. It's called "Ceylon / A British Subject" from the 2013 musical production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
And speaking of hierarchies reminds me of the ones that are talked about the both real and perceived layers of privilege in feminism, racial , and ethnic driven politics and reform. How outsiders in power can so easily reach in and twist, turning the groups and factions that should be standing together against both themselves and each other.
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Re: Oh my stars and garters.
Date: 2015-01-08 10:44 pm (UTC)MY PEOPLES! Well... I'm, at most, a quarter Irish (I think) with a mix of Scots, English, French, Dutch, and likely a pinch of Viking thrown in for good measure making up the balance.
I had this big back and forth discussion on Twitter not that long ago when I asked if there was some sort of historical compendium of slavery (in its various forms, whether called serf, indentured servant, or slave, and various hierarchies) across the ages - from earliest civilizations onward (not just concentrated on Hellenistic / Western European cultures, either.) One that discussed the cultural/societal/economic underpinnings and justifications for its use/existence/proliferation/continuation. NO SUCH THING EXISTS, AND IT SHOULD.
The best you'll find are mostly less than thorough analyses and historical overviews of specific time periods tied to only small portions of what has always been a global, endemic trade of flesh and misery for profit.
There's a fantastic song that I've got on one of my regular playlists that always makes me think of this historical divide between rulers/owners and subjects/workers/slaves. It's called "Ceylon / A British Subject" from the 2013 musical production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
And speaking of hierarchies reminds me of the ones that are talked about the both real and perceived layers of privilege in feminism, racial , and ethnic driven politics and reform. How outsiders in power can so easily reach in and twist, turning the groups and factions that should be standing together against both themselves and each other.