The title of this course is taken from Saidiya Hartman’s pathbreaking investigation into the techniques of psychic control that patterned the master-slave relationship in ante- and postbellum America. This seminar attempts to undertake such an investigation for the Roman world, making use of comparative evidence as necessary. Does Roman culture produce a “doulology” [De Wet]? What about a “hauntology” [h/t Derrida] of enslavement?
