Sabbatical Kathleen Abraham: Ancient Slavery from the Perspective of Cuneiform Tablets: Challenges and Opportunities

Research revival: I want to use the sabbatical period to take research into slavery in Babylonia in a new direction. The central idea is to initiate a study that focuses on the agency and lived experience of Babylonian slaves and possibly similar, subordinate layers in society, so-called “subalterns”). In this it differs from previous studies that emphasize the institution of slavery and the economic and legal demarcation of slave status, where slaves are mainly seen as passive objects of domination and exploitation. The new approach is not without difficulties given the nature of the Babylonian source material, but recent studies of slavery in the Greco-Roman world, and research methods developed for the study of Europe's colonial past, offer possible ways out.
On-site research for primary source analysis: To collect and re-evaluate primary sources on Babylonian slavery, it is essential that I have access to first-rate libraries and the museums and collections where these sources are found. This explains my choice of Vienna and Israel as places of residence during the Sabbath period. I will most likely also have to make a short study visit to the British Museum in London, among others.
International Collaborations: I have a long history of collaboration with colleagues from Vienna and Israel, including the Nabucco online project (Vienna), my 25-year teaching position at Bar-llan University (1987-2012), and frequent summer study visits to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in recent years, anchored in joint publications and lectures. I want to maintain and deepen these contacts, not least for the expansion of the Nabucco project, but also for the development of possible other joint and related research projects.