Location: German Historical Institute Paris
Forced mobility constituted a significant share of global mobility in the Early Modern period (1500–1800). This category includes not only the mass trafficking associated with the Transatlantic slave trade and displacement in the wake of armed conflicts or religious persecution, but also deportations, forced resettlements, penal transportation, and other forms of coerced mobility organised and carried out by the authorities, primarily on their own subjects.
This conference brings together researchers from different fields who share an interest in these forms of Early Modern forced mobility and to foster a global, comparative perspective on these phenomena. It takes a systematic look at the genesis and functioning of different practices of sending people away, of deporting or transporting them. In doing so, the conference contributes to a better understanding of practices of governance during the Early Modern Period while simultaneously focusing on the experiences and potential agency of the people subjected to these practices. By bringing together case studies from across the Early Modern world and placing them in systematic dialogue, the conference seeks to move beyond established regional and disciplinary boundaries towards a comparative history of forced mobility that is attentive to both the claims and constraints of coercive power, and the people who were subject to it.
Organizers
Eva Seemann (GHI Paris)
Florian Kühnel (IEG Mayence)
Eva Marie Lehner (Univ. Bonn)
Falk Bretschneider (EHESS)
Modalities
We welcome contributions in English or French. Each proposal should include a tentative title, a short CV and an abstract of no more than 350 words. Please send these documents in one PDF file by July 12, 2026, to : eseemann@dhi-paris.fr
Travel and accommodation costs will be covered for active participants, subject to funding approval. The conference is planned as an on-site event.
