African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean [Paperback]

Herbert S. Klein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 019503838X | ISBN-13: 978-0195038385 | Publication Date: May 19, 1988

A leading authority on Latin American slavery has produced a major and original work on the subject. Covering not only Spanish but also Portuguese and French regions, and encompassing the latest research on the plantation system as well as on mining and the urban experience, the book brings together the recent findings on demography, the slave trade, the construction of the slave community and Afro-American culture. The book also sheds new light on the processes of accommodation and rebellion and the experience of emancipation. Klein first traces the evolution of slavery and forced labor systems in Europe, Africa, and America, and then depicts the life and culture which some twelve million slaves transported from Africa over five centuries experiences in the Latin American and Caribbean regions. Particular emphasis is on the evolution of the sugar plantation economy, the single largest user of African slave labor. The book examines attempts of the African and American-born slaves to create a viable and autonomous culture, including their adaptation of European languages, religions, and even kinship systems to their own needs. Klein also describes the type and intensity of slave rebellions. Finally the book considers the important and differing role of the "free colored" under slavery, noting the unique situation of the Brazilian free colored as well as the unusual mobility of the free colored in the French West Indies. The book concludes with a look at the post-emancipation integration patterns in the different societies, analyzing the relative success of the ex-slaves in obtaining control over land and escaping from the old plantation regimes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An outstanding study of considerable interest for courses in Latin American history."--Robert M. Levine, University of Miami

"This work is the first modern comprehensive comparative study of the experience of African slaves in the Spanish-, Portuguese-, and French-speaking regions of America....The interested student could ask for no better introduction to the subject....This is Klein's greatest accomplishment, and...should be a standard work for many years to come."--Hispanic American Historical Review

"Excellent book!!! My students like it too. Klein provides a wonderful overview of every facet of slavery."--T.C. DeLaney, Washington & Lee University

"An elegant, balanced synthesis...By far the best summary available, in any language, of the history of African enslavement in Iberian America and the plantation Caribbean....The book should become a standard teaching tool and an excellent point of departure for additional research into the comparative history of slavery in the Americas."-Business History Review

"Klein once again has produced a good solid work....This is an important piece of literature and is indispensable to serious students of slavery."--Virginia Quarterly Review

"Excellent. Well-researched, attractively written."--F. Lamar Pearson, Jr., Valdosta State College

"Clearly written and drawing upon the most recent scholarship, [this book] will immediately become an essential work for all interested in the study of slavery."--Stanley Engerman, University of Rochester

About the Author

Herbert S. Klein is at Columbia University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 19, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019503838X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195038385
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,172,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Required for School, October 27, 2009

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This review is from: African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean (Paperback)

I read this book because I had to, although it had good information, was not up my alley. I personally would not have read it if I wasn't forced to. Sorry...