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Representations of Slave Women in Discourses on Slavery and Abolition, 1780–1838

By Henrice Altink

Published June 11th 2007 by Routledge – 272 pages

Series: Routledge Studies in Slave and Post Slave Societies

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Description

This book analyzes textual representations of Jamaican slave women in three contexts--motherhood, intimate relationships, and work--in both pro- and antislavery writings. Altink examines how British abolitionists and pro-slavery activists represented the slave women to their audiences and explains not only the purposes that these representations served, but also their effects on slave women’s lives.

Reviews

'Altink has provided a useful study that delves into the interplay of race, gender, and rhetoric as well as how these factors combined to initially uphold, but ultimately subvert, the slave system in Jamaica. In the process, she has contributed to a growing body of literature on slave women.' – Journal of American Ethnic History

Contents

Part 1: Incompetent Mothers 1. Belly-Women 2. Pickeniny Mummas Part 2: Adulterous Wives 3. Deviant and Dangerous: Attitudes to Slave Women's Sexuality 4. Slave Marriage: Solution or Problem? Part 3: Unruly Workers 5. The Indecency of the Lash 6. Slavery by Another Name 7. Conclusion

Author Bio

Henrice Altink is a lecturer in history at the University of York.

Name: Representations of Slave Women in Discourses on Slavery and Abolition, 1780–1838 (Hardback) – Routledge 
Description: By Henrice Altink. This book analyzes textual representations of Jamaican slave women in three contexts--motherhood, intimate relationships, and work--in both pro- and antislavery writings. Altink examines how British abolitionists and pro-slavery activists represented the...
Categories: History, Women's & Gender History, Imperial & Colonial History