Moving forward in comparative slavery
Orlando Patterson's critique of "slave society", "slave systems", and the "second slavery
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2149936 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Enrico Dal Lago (0000-0002-3018-5232, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1-8 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethnic and Racial Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-9870 • E-ISSN: 1466-4356 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/01419870.2025.2504612 |
| OpenAlex | W4410875160 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 21 |
Orlando Patterson's critique of the concept of "slave society" in his recent book Enslavement: Past and Present offers us an occasion to reflect upon the use of this term by scholars engaging in studies of comparative slavery in the ancient and modern worlds. It is possible to relate Patterson's critique of "slave society" to a discussion of the cognate concept of "slave system", taking inspirations from important recent studies by historians of ancient slavery in comparative perspective. At the same time, it is equally important to keep into account the important comparative work done by an innovative group of scholars on the "second slavery" in the nineteenth-century Atlantic world. Patterson's concept of dependence as the main feature that defined slavery can help us moving forward in comparative slavery studies by providing guidelines for a comparison of "slave systems", including the ones that characterized the "second slavery
Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories
Slave counterpoint
The Problem of Slavery as History
The study of ancient and modern slave systems
Unrequited Toil
Framing the Question
Through the Prism of Slavery
The Politics of the Second Slavery
Slave Systems
The Comparative Histories of Slavery in Brazil, Cuba, and the United States
Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275–425
Many Thousands Gone
Towards a history of ancient Mediterranean slave systems
Slavery and Social Death
Slave Systems of Greek and Roman Antiquity
Greek Slave Systems in their Eastern Mediterranean Context, c.800-146 BC
Empire, Monotheism and Slavery in the Greater Mediterranean Region from Antiquity to the Early Modern Era
Orlando Patterson, his work, and his legacy
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |