Research Postcards: Prof. Gauvin Bailey in Aix-en-Provence

In the first instalment of our new summer series of Research Postcards, we connect with Prof. Gauvin Bailey in Aix-en-Provence, France. Prof. Bailey offers insight on the research he's currently doing for his newest book, and the fascinating intersection of architecture and the history of slavery:

Prof. Gauvin Bailey: "I’m in Aix-en-Provence right now, working at the Archives nationales d’outre-mer, France’s most important archive of colonial documents. I am working on a new book on architecture and slavery, looking at Mauritius, Réunion, and Madagascar on one hand and Guadeloupe, Martinique, & Haiti on the other. I have found so many new documents that it is a challenge organizing my visits to get everything done! Graduate students will relate to this quandary!

"I am examining plans and elevations of buildings associated with slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries, including prisons and hospitals for enslaved workers (such as architects in the King’s service), descriptions and inventories of plantations, churches constructed to serve enslaved people, immigration records, and the importation of cheap prefab metal architecture from France and Britain, which became commonplace in the first half of the 19th century. I am also looking at the changes that took place after the abolition of slavery in 1848 when French colonies brought in indentured workers from India and West Africa, and the architecture constructed to house and control these workers."

Looking for more? Continue our series of Research Postcards with Prof. Allison Morehead in Washington, D.C.