Citation

Kempadoo K. J. Hum. Traffick. 2015; 1(1): 8-20.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/23322705.2015.1006120

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the early 1990s, the debate on human trafficking was restricted to a handful of feminists and revolved around establishing "the trafficking of women" as a case of labor migration or one of "female sexual slavery." Two decades later, the debate is more complicated and widespread, yet within the proliferation of attention, a convergence among some of the most vocal and visible campaigns is discernible. This article takes up three prominent campaigns that dominate contemporary debates internationally--modern anti-slavery, abolitionist feminism, and celebrity humanitarianism--and considers the politics that emerge at the points of their convergence. It is argued that rather than getting to "the bottom of things," as Emma Goldman urged over a century ago in relation to the "traffic of women," a 21st-century version of the "white man's burden" is apparent, supported by contemporary western, neoliberal interests that maintain boundaries between the haves and the have-nots, while bolstering an image of a compassionate, benevolent West. The article points toward an alternate framework, one that is lodged in a commitment to social and economic justice, decolonization, a redistribution of wealth, and respect for subaltern experience and knowledge.

Language: en

Keywords

abolitionist feminism; anti-slavery; celebrity humanitarianism; imperialism; white supremacy