Coercion and Freedom in Early Modern Globalisation seen from 18th-century Central Asia

What did it mean to be free in the past? Free to do what, or free from what? This talk follows 25,000 Swedish prisoners of war taken captive during the Great Northern War. In the first decades of the 18th century, these men and women were spread all over the Eurasian steppe. They were dispatched to Dzungaria, to the Qing Chinese, Kazaks and Mongols. They were forced to tap into networks reaching from Leiden and Constantinople, to Yarkand, Beijing and Nagasaki – and they did so as prisoners, even as slaves. With these prisoners in focus, I nuance current narratives of the early history of modern globalisation, both in terms of its geography and its actors. In line with current global history, I consider connections across borders to have acted as a motor for historical change. I do not, however, presume
entanglements to have been an active choice. I hope to show how prisoners and slaves did not just suffer the effects of global processes, but that they could actively shape scientific, diplomatic, social and economic history – without wanting to. Ultimately, I hope to provide a view of early modern globalisation that include overland connections, one that takes into account Asian expansions, and takes seriously also involuntary connections.