Enslavement

Orlando Patterson is John Cowles Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous books including Slavery and Social Death (1982) and Freedom in the Making of Western Culture (1991), which won the 1991 National Book Award for Non-Fiction.  His most recent publications include The Cultural Matrix: Understanding Black Youth and The Paradox of Freedom: A Biographical Dialogue (co-authored with David Scott).

"Orlando Patterson is one of the most important intellectuals of the last half century, and in his newest work, Enslavement, he gives us new ways of understanding the reach and depth of human bondage across time and space and from a breathtaking range of perspectives. It is a tour de force in a single volume and another outstanding contribution from a truly original mind."Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University"Ranging in scope from modern-day servitude and human trafficking to the very origins and definition of slavery in antiquity, these collected essays are a vital accompaniment to Orlando Patterson's unrivalled body of work on a topic of sadly enduring relevance."David Wengrow, University College London"A reminder of humanity's capacity for both cruelty and resilience and serves as a catalyst for ongoing efforts to combat inequality and build a more inclusive society for all."Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History"In Enslavement: Past and present, another distinguished academic, the sociologist Orlando Patterson, shows the relevance and utility of his theory of slavery as 'social death', a powerlessness whose malignance structures slave societies and persists long after emancipation."Times Literary Supplement"Provides scholars with further food for thought in relation to the theoretical underpinnings of studies in comparative slavery."Ethnic and Racial Studies"A sweeping, meticulously researched work that challenges readers to reconsider the enduring impact of slavery... Patterson's ability to weave historical depth with contemporary relevance makes this book an essential contribution to the study of slavery and human rights."Sri Lanka Guardian

• IntroductionPart 1. The Nature and Study of Slavery1. On the Institution of Slavery and its Consequences2. Revisiting Slavery and Property as a ‘Bundle of Rights’3. Beyond ‘Slave Society’: The Structural Articulations of Slavery in Pre-Capitalist and Capitalist Social Formations        4. The Denial of Slavery in Contemporary American SociologyPart 2: Slavery in the Pre-Modern and Early Christian Worlds5.  The Origins of Slavery and Slave Society: A Critique of the Nieboer-Domar Hypothesis and Case Study of Ancient Athens6. The Social and Symbolic Uses of Slavery in Ancient Rome and Early ChristianityPart 3. Slavery in the Modern World7. Slavery and Slave Revolts: The Maroon Slave Wars of Jamaica 1655-17398. Slavery and Genocide: Jamaica, the U.S. South and the Historical Sociology of Evil    Part 4. Slavery Today9. Trafficking, Modern-Day Slavery and other Forms of Servitude in Present Times