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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Monti Datta, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond

I study modern-day slavery − and here’s what I’ve learned about how enslavers try to justify their actions

United States Slavery Aristotle Lola Mike Jeffries Sean Combs Thomas Jefferson Trafficking

Several high-profile celebrities were slapped with human-trafficking charges in late 2024, from music mogul Sean Combs, known as P. Diddy, to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries. Neither has been tried yet, but in 2022 the R&B superstar R. Kelly was convicted of sex-trafficking crimes that dated back decades. He was sentenced to 30 years.

Sex trafficking, like forced labor, is a contemporary form of slavery. I am an academic who studies the mindset of slaveholders to understand more fully their rationale for what they do, in hopes of finding better ways to eradicate modern-day enslavement.

Early thinking on owning slaves

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