The Nebulous Definition of Slavery: Legal versus Sociological Definitions of Slavery
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
The aim of the chapter is to clarify the contours of the definition of slavery. Special attention is placed in understanding the blurred lines between the international legal definitions of slavery and of other exploitative practices, including the practices labeled as similar to slavery, as well as servitude and forced labor, and its relationship with trafficking in persons. A distinction is subsequently made between the international legal definition contained in the 1926 Slavery Convention adopted by the League of Nations and sociological ones developed by various scholars such as K. Bales, O. Patterson, and A. Honoré. Elements included in these definitions are analyzed and discussed in light of the 1926 definition of slavery. In this respect, the recent reorientation of international attention toward (forms of) contemporary, modern, or modern-day slavery is discussed, thus concluding that it offers a way to avoid careful scrutiny on whether exploitative practices fit the 1926 legal definition of slavery.
Description
Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Slavery, Contemporary forms of slavery, Practices similar to slavery, Servitude, Debt bondage, Forced labor, Trafficking in persons
Citation
Scarpa, Silvia. “The Nebulous Definition of Slavery: Legal versus Sociological Definitions of Slavery.” In The Palgrave International Handbook of Human Trafficking, edited by John A. Winterdyk and Jackie Jones. Springer International Publishing. 2019.
ISBN
9783319631929