In this interactive talk, Prof. Gaiutra Bahadur will discuss her book, Coolie Woman: The Odyssey of Indenture (University of Chicago Press, 2013), and dive deep into the processes of creating a living archive, collecting oral stories, and preserving family histories.

About Coolie Woman
Gaiutra Bahadur uncovers the story of her great-grandmother, a young woman who sailed from India to Guiana in 1903 as an indentured laborer, or “coolie,” replacing emancipated slaves on sugar plantations. Through her journey across three continents and extensive research in colonial archives, Bahadur not only uncovers her ancestor’s life but also sheds light on the repressed history of the quarter of a million coolie women. These women, often widows or outcasts, endured harsh labor, poor conditions, and sexual exploitation, using their sexuality as a tool for survival and sometimes inciting uprisings. Coolie Woman is a gripping exploration of gender, power, and survival across generations, revealing a complex, untold history.

Purchase Book: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo13393932.html

This lecture is part of the Localized History Project Workshop Series