Roger Casement, the International Rubber Trade, and Human Rights (1901-1916)

Suitable for introductory or survey courses in the humanities, this module focuses on the last fifteen years of the life of the diplomat and human rights advocate Roger Casement (1864-1916), which included his investigation of abusive practices on the rubber plantations of the Congo Free State and in the Putumayo District of the Amazon, as well as involvement with the Irish independence struggle. Because of the connection to the international rubber trade, the final years of Casement’s life illuminate the connections between colonialism, extraction, labor exploitation, and questions of human rights. The public revelation of Casement’s homosexuality in his conviction for treason by the British enables conversation about the history of gay rights in relation to these topics.