Slavery and Slaving in African History

This book is a comprehensive history of slavery in Africa from earliest times to the end of the twentieth century.

Sean Stilwell (Author)

9781107001343, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 June 2014

240 pages, 9 b/w illus. 4 maps
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.7 cm, 0.45 kg

'A refreshing reexamination of the place of slavery in the history of Africa, Slavery and Slaving in African History surveys the role of slaves in the economies and societies of Africa throughout history, thereby establishing context for an understanding of the deportation of slaves across the Atlantic, the Sahara, and the Indian Ocean and of the use of slaves in Africa itself.' Paul E. Lovejoy, FRSC Distinguished Research Professor, Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History, York University

This book is a comprehensive history of slavery in Africa from the earliest times to the end of the twentieth century, when slavery in most parts of the continent ceased to exist. It connects the emergence and consolidation of slavery to specific historical forces both internal and external to the African continent. Sean Stilwell pays special attention to the development of settled agriculture, the invention of kinship, 'big men' and centralized states, the role of African economic production and exchange, the interaction of local structures of dependence with the external slave trades (transatlantic, trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean), and the impact of colonialism on slavery in the twentieth century. He also provides an introduction to the central debates that have shaped current understanding of slavery in Africa. The book examines different forms of slavery that developed over time in Africa and introduces readers to the lives, work, and struggles of slaves themselves.

Preface
1. Defining slavery, defining freedom
2. Slavery in African history
3. Slavery without states: land, lineages, and power in Africa
4. Slavery and African states
5. Slavery and African economics
6. The end of slavery in Africa
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB], History: earliest times to present day [HBL], African history [HBJH]