Introduction

This volume forms the fourth and final publication originating from the conference Legacy of Slavery and Indentured Labour: Past, Present and Future, which was organized in June 2013 by the Institute of Graduate Studies and Research (IGSR) at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname, in collaboration with a number of government and nongovernmental organizations.1 Following the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies in 1834, the sugar plantations in the region were faced with a severe labour shortage as most of the freed Africans refused to work beyond their apprenticeship period following emancipation.