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How convict labour forged empires

Clare Anderson dives into lesser-known aspects of the history of convict transportation, revealing more about how the labour of those transported shaped empires

Published: December 20, 2024 at 7:30 AM

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Think of the transportation of convicts, and your mind probably goes to the arrival of the First Fleet in Australia in 1788. But, as historian Clare Anderson reveals in this episode, convict transportation is actually a much wider historical phenomenon. Speaking to Elinor Evans, Clare dives into the lesser-known aspects of this story, revealing how Britain’s penal system extended far beyond Australia to colonies across south-east Asia and beyond, revealing a complex network of forced labour, colonisation, and racial hierarchies that reshaped entire regions.

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Clare Anderson is the author of Convicts: A Global History (Cambridge University Press, 2022)

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Authors

Elinor EvansHead of digital (web and video)

Elinor Evans is head of digital (web and video)

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