ENSLAVEMENT, past and present

337pp., illus., map, paperback, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2025

ISBN: 9781509561766

In this collection of revised and rewritten essays historical sociologist Orlando Patterson examines the social, political, and economic complexities of slavery across different eras and societies. He re-evaluates the definition of slavery; examines the role of women in the history of slavery, the importance of manumission in the formation of Christian doctrine and the cost of genocide and revolt in Jamaican slave society, and investigates contemporary slavery and other forms of servitude.

“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

“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

Orlando Patterson is John Cowles Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. His books include Slavery and Social Death and Freedom in the Making of Western Culture (winner of 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).