Please join us on Tuesday, November 29, 12-1pm for a "What I Am Thinking About Now" presentation from Matthew Reilly, Visiting Assistant Professor, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World and Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. His talk is titled, "'White Slaves'" in the Caribbean?: Whiteness and the Racialized (Re)Construction of History."

The Caribbean island of Barbados was a prototypical sugar and slavery society, but were all of the island's enslaved individuals African or of African descent? Today, a growing segment of the transatlantic public boisterously claims that Barbados was home to some of the first "white slaves" or "Irish slaves" in the Americas. In this talk, Matthew Reilly explores the rise of the "white slavery" narrative and its associated racialized politics before delving into the historical and experiential differences between European indentured servitude and enslavement. He will then discuss how these histories have affected the lives of Barbadian "poor whites" or “Redlegs” in the present. Despite significant evidence that denies the existence of "white slavery" in Barbados, he has been thinking about how whiteness continuously (re)constructs histories that legitimate the racial status quo.

"What I Am Thinking About Now" is an on-going informal workshop/seminar series to which faculty and graduate students are invited to present and discuss recently published work and work in progress. All are invited to attend and participate.

Snacks and caffeine will be provided. RSVP: [email protected]