September 26-28, 2024

In honor of the 80th anniversary of Eric Williams' classic text by the same name, the Capitalism & Slavery symposium explores how the Transatlantic slave trade has shaped economic and political institutions and possibilities from the fifteenth century to the present. Besides revisiting the pathbreaking scholarship of Eric Williams, this symposium gathers scholars with expertise in the novel forms of finance, law, politics, gender, sexuality, and ability, that define capitalism. Together, we will ask how scholars define and deploy Williams’ two key terms, “capitalism” and “slavery,” as we chart new intellectual paths and imagine new political possibilities.