HIST 225 - The History of Slavery and Human Trade in East Asia Since 1200

This course examines the history of slavery and human trade in East Asia from 1200 up to now. We will explore questions such as: Was East Asia a slaveholding region? How did people in East Asia enter and exit from slavery? How were the human markets in East Asia operated locally and globally? How were family practices, such as adoption, marriage, and concubinage, entangled with slavery? How did Confucianism, the dominant ideology in premodern East Asia, conceptualize and legitimize the relationship between slaves and masters? What are modern forms of coerced labor in China, Japan, and Korea? How could the East Asian histories of slavery and human trade contribute to international efforts in combating unfree labor and human trafficking worldwide? At the end of our class, we will reflect on globalized concepts-such as freedom, coerced labor, and property rights-and their applications from non-Western perspectives.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Not offered: 2026-27
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.