…Dr Estherine Adams’s award-winning research underscores the University of Guyana’s growing global scholarly presence.

Dr Estherine Adams, Head of the Department of History and Caribbean Studies in the Faculty of Education and Humanities at the University of Guyana 

Dr Estherine Adams, Head of the Department of History and Caribbean Studies in the Faculty of Education and Humanities at the University of Guyana, has been awarded the ASSLH Edna Ryan Prize for Best Article on Women’s History (2023–2024) for her paper, “‘At Work, in Hospital, or in Gaol’: Women in British Guiana’s Jails, 1838–1917,” published in the Journal of Labour History. 

The award, presented by the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History (ASSLH), recognises outstanding scholarship on women’s experiences and contributions within labour history. Dr Adams’s paper offers a powerful and original argument that the prison systems in colonial British Guiana served not only to punish but also to extract and control labour, particularly from African and Indian indentured women. 

The judges commended the article for being “original, clearly positioned in relevant recent literature and beautifully written to imagine and illuminate the lives of female indentured labourers in British Guiana.” They added that it advanced “an important argument about the centrality of prison labour to the colony, illustrating the intersections of coerced labour, capitalism, and colonialism.” 

Dr Adams said she was “genuinely stunned” to learn that her paper had won the prize, especially since she had not known it had been submitted. “I had no idea the journal had entered my article, so the email arrived completely unexpectedly. There was a moment of disbelief followed by deep gratitude. As researchers, we often work in solitude — in archives, writing late at night — wondering if the nuance and humanity we try to convey will reach anyone. To learn that the article resonated that strongly was both affirming and humbling,” she said. 

The judges’ comments held special meaning for her, as they recognised not only the academic strength of her research but also its human depth. “They recognised not just the academic contribution, but the humanity of the women whose stories I reconstructed from archival silences. When they noted that the article was beautifully written to illuminate these lives, I felt seen as a scholar, not simply for producing research, but for recovering lives erased from the historical record,” she reflected. 

Her motivation for exploring this subject was guided by a central question: Where were the women in the carceral histories of slavery and indentureship? According to Dr Adams, “The prison was one of the earliest colonial institutions designed to regulate and exploit labour, yet women — particularly African and later Indian indentured women — were almost invisible in the archive. I wanted to centre them not as footnotes to male histories, but as labouring subjects whose experiences reveal how power operated through gender, race, and the prison system.” 

She shared that one of her main challenges was the lack of detailed records on incarcerated women. To address this, she employed what she calls a “fragmentary methodology.” “In many cases, women appeared only as numbers or anonymous references buried in disciplinary reports. To overcome this, I read against the grain, analysing what the record left out as much as what it included, and pieced together details across inventories, health reports, punishment books, and plantation records. If the archive whispered, I tried to listen as closely as possible,” she explained. 

Dr Adams hopes that this international recognition will inspire more researchers in Guyana and across the Caribbean to interrogate history courageously. “My hope is that this award signals the value of work that confronts historical silences, especially in colonial archives. Guyana and the Caribbean are full of stories that remain unwritten. If this recognition encourages emerging researchers to take risks, ask uncomfortable questions, and challenge dominant narratives, then it has already done more than I could have imagined,” she said. 

She also reflected on what the award means for the University of Guyana. “At UG, we teach, research, advise, and carry heavy administrative responsibilities, often simultaneously. This award is a reminder that world-class scholarship can be produced from Guyana, by Guyanese scholars, for global audiences. It also models for our students that their stories — the stories of this land and this history — are worthy of study and will be heard. The award is not just mine; it belongs to the Department, to the students who sit in our classrooms, and to the women whose lives I tried to honour in the research.” 

The University of Guyana congratulates Dr Estherine Adams on this outstanding achievement. Her work continues to advance the institution’s mission to contribute meaningfully to national and global scholarship, while inspiring future generations of researchers to uncover and honour the untold stories of our region. 

Please click this link to read Dr Adams’ article: https://doi.org/10.3828/labourhistory.2023.21  

UG in Brief  The University of Guyana, the accredited national University of Guyana, now in its 62nd year, was founded in October 1963, three years before Guyana became independent. “UG”, as it is fondly referred to, offers over 180 distinct programmes in over 80 disciplines from Certificates, Diplomas, associate degrees, Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s Degrees to Ph.D.’s. These programmes are offered in online, face-to-face or blended formats. UG delivers through a system of eight campuses. This includes its 37-year-old community-based Institute for Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) and the second major campus at Tain in Berbice celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025, as well as the path-breaking Makatau Forest Campus. The University of Guyana’s student population is over 11,500.  

Through its 9 faculties and 10 Research Institutes and Centers, including an accredited College of Medical Sciences, School of Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation and the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences which has been ranked # 5 globally, “UG” has provided education, training and research for over 71,000 alumni over its 62-year history with significant national and global impact. Key faculties include the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, the Faculty of Natural Sciences, the College of Behavioural Sciences and Research, the Faculty of Education and Humanities and the Faculty of Social Sciences. The University’s 10 Research Institutes include the recently launched Institute for Marine and Riverine Ecologies and Economies (IMAREE), the internationally important Centre for Biodiversity, the Institute for Food and Nutrition Security, the Institute for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Institute for Energy Diplomacy, the Green Institute, the Institute of Gender Studies, the Institute for Human Resiliency, Strategic Security and the Future, and the Internatio na l Centre for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.  

The mission of the University of Guyana is to discover, generate, disseminate and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the advancement of communities, the nation, and mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom, transparent accountability, pragmatic innovation and universal respect.  

UG’s forward-thinking Blueprint 2040 is currently setting the course for the University’s future design and institutional response to the changing needs of Guyana, the region and the world. It is entering the 2nd of its four phases.  UG is currently celebrating its 62nd anniversary with a continued focus on becoming the leading teaching and research University in Guyana.