(Other) free workers in the nineteenth-century Atlantic

Abstract

The dossier explores the transformations in the world of work in the 19th century, amid the abolition of slavery and the expansion of industrial capitalism. It questions the traditional view of the transition from slave to free labor, arguing that abolition did not necessarily lead to the predominance of wage labor. Forms of compulsory labor coexisted with slavery and expanded after abolition, revealing a complex and multifaceted scenario of liberation. The articles address issues such as forced recruitment promoted by the state, voluntary and involuntary transatlantic migrations, and strategies of resistance by workers. They also analyze the participation of the British and French states in the organization of compulsory labor systems in the colonies, highlighting the continuity of forms of coercion after abolition. The dossier contributes to the debate on the social history of labor and slavery, highlighting the transnational connections and the cultural dimensions of workers in different historical and social contexts.