author
H. J. (Herman Jeremias) Nieboer
1873–1920
A Dutch scholar and public figure, he is best remembered for a wide-ranging early study of slavery that brought together ethnology, economics, and social theory. His work continues to be noted for linking forms of unfree labor to the economic conditions in which they arise.
1 Audiobook
Slavery as an industrial system : Ethnological researches.
by H. J. (Herman Jeremias) Nieboer
About the author
Born in Hengelo on January 19, 1873, and later active in The Hague, Herman Jeremias Nieboer was a Dutch lawyer, scholar, and politician associated with the Social Democratic Workers' Party. He earned lasting attention through his 1900 book Slavery as an Industrial System: Ethnological Researches, a comparative study that examined slavery across societies and tried to explain the conditions under which it developed.
Nieboer combined academic interests with public service. Dutch biographical sources describe him as a municipal council member in The Hague, a member of the Provincial States of South Holland, and secretary of the local health commission. He died in The Hague on November 16, 1920.
Today, he is chiefly remembered as the author of Slavery as an Industrial System, a work that has remained available through major digital library projects and is still discussed for its early attempt to connect labor scarcity, land, and coercive labor systems.