Indentured Servitude

he life and struggles of Shreedhar Balwant Jodhpurkar alias Baba Ramchandra, as he came to be popularly known, are a unique example of grassroots leadership-initially as an Indentured labourer and then as a peasant leader. His role as a peasant leader has been highlighted and analysed by me in many writings.1 However, the knowledge about his life and struggle as an indentured labourer and the impact it had on him in mobilizing the peasants of Oudh needs further investigation. Fortunately, I was able to collect his private papers which also contained his notebook mentioning his life in Fiji along with references of it in his other writings.2

Het herdenkingsjaar slavernijverleden in Nederland is momenteel in volle gang. Voorafgaand aan de start op 1 juli 2023, werd het publiek overstelpt met artikelen, boeken, podcasts, debatten en festiviteiten die voornamelijk gingen over de trans Atlantische slavernij en 150 jaar contractarbeid van Hindostanen. Mensen die niet bekend zijn met de geschiedenis van slavernij en contractarbeid in Suriname, kunnen hierdoor de verkeerde conclusie trekken dat het herdenkingsjaar slechts de Afro-Surinamers en Hindostanen aangaat en dat de twee historische gebeurtenissen exact na elkaar volgden. Dit artikel gaat over de contractarbeid van Javanen.

Highlights of this episode are:

1. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) continues to address the problem of international trafficking in hazardous waste.

2. Illicit trafficking in humans is a profitable trade as well; some people profit from such illicit trade in all but every society; also, there are some people who fall easy prey to these human traffickers in the urge of their needs.

3. Illegal trafficking in humans is a serious crime and violation of human rights, and it also risks insecurity of people's lives; many qualified and wise people are involved in human trafficking!

4. Because Bangladesh is a populous and developing country, many poor people become victims of illicit trafficking in humans by selling their properties as their last option.

5. Human trafficking is an illegal trade for forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sex work; however, if the trafficked person consents, it can be called ‘people smuggling’ instead of human trafficking.

6. It is clear as daylight that human trafficking is linked to poverty; many well-to-do people also become penniless because of human traffickers and ransom collectors.

7. In the eyes of the law, there is no rich or poor when it comes to crime; because law applies equal for all.

8. There is no single or uniform characteristic to identify victims of human trafficking; the same applies to human traffickers.

9. Human traffickers often make false promises or temptation to vulnerable people to convince them to work in deplorable working conditions for little or no pay.

10. There are some differences between slavery and indentured servitude; the illegal human trafficking that continues in the modern world has little to do with former slavery or indentured servitude; however, if people are forced, the issue comes close to slavery.

11. The necessity is to eradicate poverty from the world as well as to discourage illegal human trafficking through the enforcement of law; this is the responsibility of all countries of the world, all people concerned.

This essay focuses on the Irish emmigration  experience in the 19th and 20th century to America. The traditional American Historical perspective of the experience is perhaps most clearly presented in Tyler Anbinder’s journal article titled Moving beyond “Rags to Riches'': New York's Irish Famine Immigrants and Their Surprising Savings Accounts.  Anbinders work utilizes a wide array of primary sources such as savings accounts and family letters among others in an attempt to reveal realities attributed to the chances of Irish immigrants to succeed in America, mainly in the later half of the 19th century. Of course the answer to this question will give historians and researchers some insight on whether or not the Irish really had it worse than other white immigrant groups. Anbinders article mentions arguments by early historians who argue that “upward mobility was within reach of many Americans, even those starting out on the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder”. Arguments like these are reminiscent of highly cited authors such as Liam Hogan who attempt to wash away the idea that Irish Immigrants may have suffered immense persecution at the hands of the British and American elites in the 19th century. Anbinders analysis seeks to explore and challenge the traditionalist arguments by early historians.  Although, I believe these arguments are emerging out of ‘good faith’ as many Americans are advocating for racial Justice. However, it seems that these arguments I’d argue are sadly flawed and are even problematic as they lack context.

The economies of both Colonial America and the United States relied heavily on the lowest-wage labor available to establish themselves. During the period of early Colonial America, indentured servants served as the main form of labor until the advent of chattel slavery. In post-emancipation America, the desire for low-wage work led to the development of new forms of labor that shared many traits with indentured servitude. The pressures that influenced migration, contracts that were formed between workers and employers, and the outcomes of the workers all playing a part in developing a new indentured servitude.

Special Issue, The Origins of the Welfare State: Global and Comparative Approaches Co-edited by Agnoletto, S. and Palmieri, C. http://zapruderworld.org/journal/archive/volume-3/overcoming-barriers-to-voluntary-servitude-positive-thinking-and-self-help-the-post-political-ideology-of-workfare/

Garland, C. (2014) ‘As Barriers Fall, Contingency Becomes Possibility: Protest Resisting and Escaping Containment and Categorization’, Part II Identity, Embodiment and Categorisation in Eds. Lamond, I. and Spracklen, K. 'Protests as Events: Politics, Activism and Leisure (London: Rowman & Littlefield International) Hardback ISBN/9781783480760 Paperback ISBN/978-1-78348-077-7 eBook ISBN/978-1-78348-078-4 

https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781783480760