Is illiteracy the new slavery?

Those of us who write about our families inevitably engage in conversations with the dead. The two specters who take up most of my time these days were black, slave-era founders of the Staples family line. read more

There are several types of modern slavery, including illiteracy, drug addiction, incarceration, human trafficking and any number of other addictions. The Bible talks of being a slave to sin. New Age Slavery in several forms is much worse than antebellum slavery in the USA after 1808 and before 1865, just as convict leasing after 1865 was worse than chattel slavery in most respects. read more

Although new slavery flourishes "where old rules, old ways of life break down", time and again Bales shows how pre-existing cultural traditions and social norms are essential to legitimise new slavery - attitudes to women in Thailand, the caste system in India and Pakistan, the need to borrow to pay for weddings or bride prices, long-standing cultural rules about honour and debt repayment. read more