Ending slavery and creating empire in Africa: from the "Indelible stain" to the "light of civilization" -- From law to practice: "certain excesses of severity" -- The critiques and defenses of modern slavery: from without and within, above and below -- Mobility and tactical flight: of workers,...

This dissertation focuses on the development of policies against bonded labour and slavery in India between 1843 and the 1990s. Starting with the abolition of the slave trade by the British in 1833, the author argues that the following developments of the policies and the interpretation of the...