Slavery and Antislavery in Spain's Atlantic Empire

Spain was a late entrant into the slave trade, but also the last to leave. The book looks at the circumstances and forces driving Spain vis-a-vis the trade. Editors Fradera (history, Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and Schmidt-Nowara (history, Tufts University) posit in their introduction that, while slavery was central to the colonial systems of the Dutch, English, Portuguese French, and Danish, its centrality in Spanish domains did not become the case until the overseas empire was in crisis, and that this difference is often ignored in historiography. The editors and their contributors aim to provide a reconsideration of the Spanish Empire regarding the slave trade and its abolition. There are 11 chapters. The introduction sets the scene for Spain as a colonial pioneer and plantation latecomer. The other chapters cover slavery, antislavery, and abolition. These international scholars present an original and significant contribution to historiography, and a valuable book for scholars and students. There are notes, a selected bibliography, graphs, figures, maps, and tables. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Josep M. Fradera is Professor of History at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the author of La nacion imperial. Derechos, representacion y ciudadania en los imperios de Gran Bretana, Francia, Espana y los Estados Unidos (2015).