Global Slavery

January 12, 2017May 2, 2014 By Lisa T. Yun

What does the history of 19th century Chinese coolie migration offer to present day debates on labor exploitation? Dr. Lisa Yun will examine the 19th century Chinese coolie migration to the Americas, focusing on its relevance and connection to contemporary debates regarding the nature of transnational indenture, slavery, and trafficking today. One contemporary example is the harsh indenture of South Asians in Qatar (with 90% of the nation’s population being South Asian imported labor) and their role in building infrastructure.

Video Not Available at Request of Speaker

Author Bio

Lisa T. Yun

Lisa T. Yun is an Associate Professor of English at Binghamton University - State University of New York. Dr. Yun received her PhD. from the University of Texas, and B.A. from Yale University. She is a co-founder of the Asian American Studies department at Binghamton University, and formerly served as Associate Director and Acting Director.

Dr. Yun's areas of interest include Asian Diasporas of the Americas, Asian American Literature and Culture, Freedom and Slavery, Black and Asian Comparative Studies, Colonial/Postcolonial literature, Creative Writing. Her current projects are on The Black Pacific and Asian Atlantic, and Coolie and Slave: Intersections of Histories and Literatures.