Introduction: (In)Dependent Selves: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Life Writing, Slavery and Dependency

This introduction to the special issue explores the intersection of life writing and dependency studies, examining how individuals subjected to strong asymmetrical dependencies—including slavery, captivity, indenture and coerced labor—narrated or were prevented from narrating their experiences. It foregrounds how personal testimonies, autobiographies and otherwise mediated life writing accounts reveal or obscure structures of power, subjugation and resistance. Drawing on case studies from North America, West Africa, the Caribbean, Central Asia, Mughal India and Tibet, contributors interrogate archival silences, editorial interventions and manifold processes of self-representation. By moving beyond the traditional slavery/freedom binary, this introduction emphasises the complex interplay between dependency and autonomy in life writing. It brings to light the agency of (in)dependent individuals as relational and self-fashioning subjects, navigating restrictive social structures across time and space.