Wilberforce Institute Our story Business services Our work Our people Postgraduate Study Our publications News and events Contact us More Back Completed projects Redrawing Slavery Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us The Challenge Groundbreaking research exploring the origins and development of slavery in both illegal and legal forms. The existence of modern-day slavery has added to the long-standing debate about the nature and definition of enslavement. This project questions our current understanding of slavery by exploring how legal concepts, not just criminal exploitation, contributed to slavery in the past and the present. Redrawing slavery is developing a new theoretical approach to the emergence of slavery and its development over time. The Approach Lead researchers Project funded by Examining the process of enslavement at a number of key points in history, this project delivers an extensive reassessment of the origins and development of slavery from the earliest laws to present day. The Impact In order to tackle slavery we need to understand the factors that brought it into being and the mechanisms that supported it. This research is revealing the factors that justified the practice of enslavement in the past, and investigating why slavery still exists today. Get in touch Got a question or want to collaborate? Contact us Other completed research projects View all projects Completed project Antislavery Usable Past Using lessons learned from previous abolition movements to bolster the present-day fight against slavery. Completed project Trans-Atlantic slave trade database Harnessing decade’s worth of research expertise in historical slavery, the database rose to the challenge of documenting the estimated 36,000 voyages taken to transport slaves. Completed project Stolen Lives A vibrant and interactive collection of films, stories and songs that use the power of imagery and music to raise awareness of modern slavery issues among schoolchildren. Completed project Remembering 1807 How did the UK mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery? With more than 300 events - now preserved in an archive. Completed project Scotland's diasporas in a global context Uncovering Scotland’s slavery past. Helping inform effective modern-day migration policies. Completed project Debt, poverty and slavery in historical perspective Exploring the historial relationship between debt and slavery.