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This event marks the launch of Drugs, Race & the Politics of Modern Slavery Law: When Enemies Become Victims by Prof Insa Lee Koch, a timely and critical examination of Britain’s modern slavery agenda and its entanglement with race, criminal justice and inequality.
Tuesday 16 June 2026, 10am–12pm
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/when-enemies-become-victims-tickets-1988511465322?aff=oddtdtcreator
Event description
This event marks the launch of Drugs, Race & the Politics of Modern Slavery Law: When Enemies Become Victims by Insa Lee Koch, a timely book that asks who really benefits from Britain’s “modern slavery” agenda.
Focusing on young men involved in “county lines” drug distribution, the book explores a striking shift: those once criminalised under the ‘war on gangs’ are now reframed as victims of exploitation. But what does this change mean in practice, and who does it protect or control?
Against the backdrop of Britain’s enduring legacies of slavery and racial empire, the book exposes how race, inequality, and criminal (in)justice are being reshaped in Britain today.
As an open access publication, the book is freely available online via Oxford Academic. A link is provided below for those who wish to explore it in advance, but no prior reading is required to attend.
Read the book (open access): https://academic.oup.com/book/61837
Format
The event will take the form of a book launch and panel conversation, beginning with an introduction from the author, followed by responses and discussion from invited speakers. Their contributions will open up wider discussion on modern slavery, race and the state, with particular attention to how contemporary slavery frameworks are used to shape policy, governance and punitive power.
Time will be set aside for audience questions and open discussion.
Speakers
- Prof Insa Lee Koch
Chair of British Cultures at the University of St Gallen. An interdisciplinary scholar trained in law and anthropology, working ethnographically on inequality, political economy and the state. - Prof Louiza Odysseos
Professor Emeritus in International Relations, University of Sussex. Co‑Director of the Centre for Rights, Reparations and Anti‑Colonial Justice, and member of the Resistance Studies Network steering group. - Prof Ben Rogaly
Professor Emeritus of Human Geography at the University of Sussex, researching solidarities, migration, culture and political economy, with collaborative projects spanning music, photography and social justice. - Prof Lizzie Seal
Professor of Criminology at the University of Sussex and Principal Investigator of a Leverhulme‑funded project on histories of race, crime and justice in Britain. - Dr Shahrzad Fouladvand
Expert in transnational criminal law and international criminal justice, with professional experience at the International Criminal Court and the International Labour Organization, researching modern slavery, trafficking and corruption.
Target audience
Students, academics and interested public concerned with labour rights, modern slavery, racial inequality and criminal (in)justice.
Summer of Research 2026
This event is part of the Summer of Research 2026, a two‑week festival of researcher‑led talks, workshops and events celebrating the breadth and impact of research at the University of Sussex. The festival brings together researchers, students and professional services colleagues to share ideas, build connections and explore opportunities for future collaboration.
Find out about and sign up for other exciting events here!