This is an academic inquiry into how labor power has been dehumanized and commodified around the world through the ages for creation of wealth, capital accumulation, and industrialization. It analyses major forms of unfree and involuntary labor markets theoretically and empirically from multidisciplinary and comparative perspectives.

Caf Dowlah, a former professor of economics with the State University of New York and the City University of New York for three decades, has most recently been an International Consultant for the Modern Slavery Project of the United Nations. He has also taught at the University of Southern California (his alma mater), the California State University-Fullerton, and the Otaru University of Commerce (Japan). Dr. Dowlah has also worked for the World Bank, the UNDP, the UN-WFP, and the USAID in policy advisory capacities. He has authored over a dozen books and over three dozen papers in refereed journals on international trade, global finance and investment, global value chains, and international labor migration. His latest book-Cross-Border Labor Mobility: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives-was published by Macmillan in 2020. He is also a contributory author to Developing Freedom: The Sustainable Development Case for Ending Modern Slavery, being published by the United Nations.

1. Introduction: The World of Coerced Labor Part I: The World of Slaveries-Conceptual Contexts 2. Slaveries in the Pre-Columbian World 3. The Slaveries of Amerindians and Native Americans 4. African Slavery in the New World Part II: The World of Serfdoms-Conceptual Contexts 5. The West European Serfdom 6. Eastern European Serfdom 7. The Russian Serfdom Part III: The World of Feudalisms-Conceptual Contexts 8. The Chinese Feudalism 9. The Japanese Feudalism 10. The Indian Feudalism 11. Latin American Feudalism Part IV: The World of Indentured Servitudes-Conceptual Contexts 12. Indentured Servitude of the Europeans 13. Indentured Servitude of the Indians 14. Indentured Servitude of the Chinese Part V: The World of Guestworkers-Conceptual Contexts 15. The Bracero Program of the United States 16. Guestworker Programs of Northern and Western Europe 17. The Kafala System of the Gulf States PART VI: Neoslavery in the Twenty-First Century-Conceptual Context 18. Neoslavery in the Twenty-First Century-Human Trafficking 19. Neoslavery in the Twenty-First Century-Global Value Chains 20. Neoslavery in the Twenty-First Century-Assessment of Global Measures to Combat the Menace