To mark the 25th anniversary of the Taubira Act, and as work begins on the future museum dedicated to the history of slavery, the Departmental Council of Reunion and the Villèle Historical Museum are launching a new chapter of reflection and discussions on the history of slavery with Paulin Ismard, professor of ancient history at the EHESS (School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences) and a recognised specialist in the history of slavery, who notably edited the collective work entitled Les Mondes de l’esclavage (The Worlds of Slavery).
Slavery has existed throughout the history of the world and of mankind
Slavery is not a phenomenon unique to modern colonial societies. It has existed in various forms in many societies and at different periods in history. Studying these experiences provides a better understanding of the most common forms of domination and the unique characteristics of each system of slavery.
The lectures in September 2026 aim to broaden the scope of discussions around the theme of slavery through a comparative analysis of slavery in ancient Greece and colonial slavery on Bourbon Island. Within profoundly different historical, economic, legal and social contexts, the aim is to reveal the various ways of defining the condition of servitude, the relationship between slavery and freedom, forms of domination, resistance, processes of emancipation and the legacies left by slave-owning societies.
Three events for a range of different audiences
9th September: lecture at 5.45 pm at the Centre Culturel Le Sud in Saint-Pierre, aimed at teachers.
Registration: reservationenseignant@gmail.com
10th September: event at 5.45 pm at the University of Réunion, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Élie Lecture Theatre in Saint-Denis; open to all
11th September: Masterclass ‘Reflecting on Slavery: from Ancient Greece to Reunion’. A dialogue between Paulin Ismard and Prosper Ève at 5.45 pm at the Centre Culturel Le Sud in Saint-Pierre. Registration: reservationtoutpublic@gmail.com
A programme linked to the construction of the Museum of the History of Slavery
This programme is a way of identifying the questions that the future museum will seek to address: how should the history of slavery be told? How can local history be linked to global history? How can the experiences of those enslaved be given a voice? How can this history be passed on to future generations?
Twenty-five years after the Taubira Act
Twenty-five years after the adoption of the Taubira Act, the challenge is not only to recognise the history of the slave trade and slavery, but also to continue to learn about it, document it, pass it on and engage in discussions about it.
Paulin Ismard is a professor of ancient history at the EHESS.
A specialist in ancient Greek societies, his work focuses in particular on political institutions, law, citizenship and slavery. His research specifically examines the link between freedom and slavery in ancient societies, and the way in which these two concepts define each other.
The author of several books on Athenian democracy and slavery, he also edited Les Mondes de l’esclavage (The Worlds of Slavery), a wide-ranging collective study devoted to the comparative history of slave-owning societies.
