This volume is a product of the conference on âSlavery and Forced Labour in Asia, c. 1250âc. 1900: Continuities and Transformations in Comparative Perspectiveâ organized by the Leiden Slavery Studies Association (LSSA) from 1â3 June 2017. I want to thank Jeff Fynn-Paul and Damian Pargas for inviting me to join them in organizing the conference, and the LSSA for its support in making the conference such a rewarding experience both personally and professionally. My thanks also go to the conferenceâs participants, some of whom traveled half way around the globe to join us in Leiden, for their enthusiastic participation in our discussions and willingness to share the fruits of their expertise and experience; their generosity of spirit is much appreciated. Lastly, I want to thank Lennart Visser for his conscientious preparation of the maps herein.
This book is missing an important chapter that it was supposed to include. Joe Miller was poised to contribute his thoughts and reflections on slavery and bonded labor in Asia when he succumbed to cancer on 12 March 2019. Joe was one of the most eminent historians of slavery of our time. Although trained as an Africanist, much of his career was devoted to understanding the origins, nature, and dynamics of the human experience with slavery and bonded labor on a global scale, and he jumped at my invitation to join us in Leiden where he reveled in the kind of engagement that is at the heart of any scholarâs being. We all benefitted from his presence, his generous sharing of his expertise and insights, and his support for our endeavors, and this volume is dedicated to his memory as a token of the affection and respect in which he was held.