Work For the Sake of Work

What is it about?

After the abolition of slavery in 1847, a system of convict labor was introduced in the Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy. This system was meant to install a "spirit of industry" among the Black working class, but would prove to rather be controversial and harsh. I argue that the purpose of the system was to draw clear hierarchical lines between the upper and lower classes of Saint Barthélemy, rather than any fiscal improvements.

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