Critical Legal Perspectives on Contemporary Slavery - (Ius Comparatum) by Adelle Blackett & Laura Dehaibi & M Adedayo Odusanya & Edward Van Daalen

About the Book

This edited volume examines contemporary forms of slavery and the law through a comparative and historical lens, integrating findings from 15 countries to highlight continuities and shifts from the Atlantic slave trade. Its core argument is that understanding past legacies is crucial for effectively addressing contemporary labour exploitation.

Book Synopsis

This edited volume examines contemporary forms of slavery and the law through an historical and comparative lens. The volume consists of a general report and 15 national reports from a wide cross-section of jurisdictions that include Canada, Peru, the Netherlands, Barbados and Ghana. Each chapter provides in-depth engagement with slavery as a global institution in dialogue with slavery in its contemporary forms, including their causes and consequences. The book explores slavery and the Atlantic slave trade, its historical legacies in the persistence of racial capitalism, and points of continuity and disjuncture with contemporary attempts to redress severe labour exploitation in global supply and global care chains.

About the Author

Adelle Blackett, FRSC, AdE, is Professor of Law and Canada Research Chair in Transnational Labour Law at McGill University, the 2024 William Hughes Mulligan Distinguished Visiting Professor at Fordham University, and the founding director of the Labour Law and Development Research Laboratory.

Laura Dehaibi is Assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial Relations of Université Laval, a member and former postdoctoral fellow of the Labour Law and Development Research Laboratory, and a co-researcher at the Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalization and Work (CRIMT).

M. Adedayo Odusanya is an independent scholar and founder of the Black (Canadian) Law Journal. He holds a B.C.L. & J.D. from McGill University's Faculty of Law as well as a First-Class Joint Honours B.A. from McGill.

Edward van Daalen is a postdoctoral fellow of the Labour Law and Development Research Laboratory at McGill University. He works on the intersections of international labour law, children's rights, and development studies. He holds a PhD in law from the University of Geneva.