'Black but Human': Slavery and Visual Art in Hapsburg Spain, 1480-1700

The study "Black but Human" explores the visual representations of African slaves and ex-slaves in Spain during the Hapsburg dynasty, highlighting the Afro-Hispanic proverb "Black but Human" as a lens for understanding how these representations embodied and reproduced hegemonic visions of enslaved and liberated Africans. It also explores how Afro-Hispanics used these representations for critical and emancipatory practices. The African presence in the Iberian Peninsula resulted from the institutionalization of the local and transatlantic slave trades, with approximately two million enslaved people in the kingdoms of Castile, Aragón, and Portugal.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Black but Human is a groundbreaking study that delves into the visual representations of African slaves and ex-slaves in Spain during the Hapsburg dynasty. Spanning six chapters, the Afro-Hispanic proverb "Black but Human" serves as the central thread through which to explore the multifaceted ways in which a specific visual portrayal of slavery both embodies and reproduces dominant visions of enslaved and liberated Africans. At the same time, it offers valuable material for critical and emancipatory practices by Afro-Hispanics themselves.

The African presence in the Iberian Peninsula between the late fifteenth century and the end of the seventeenth century can be attributed to the institutionalization of local and transatlantic slave trades. In addition to the Moors, Berbers, and Turks born as slaves, approximately two million enslaved individuals were present in the kingdoms of Castile, Aragón, and Portugal. The "Black but Human" topos that emerges from the African work songs and poems written by Afro-Hispanics encapsulates the intricate processes through which a black emancipatory subject emerges and a black nation forges collective resistance. This profound imagery is visually articulated by Afro-Hispanic and Spanish artists in religious paintings, self-portraits, and portraiture.

While this extraordinary imagery coexists with the stereotypical representations of African slaves and ex-slaves by Spanish sculptors, engravers, jewelers, and painters, primarily in religious visual forms, as well as European draftsmen and miniaturists in landscape drawings and sketches for costume books, Black but Human offers a unique perspective that challenges these conventional narratives. By examining the visual representations of African slaves and ex-slaves in Spain during the Hapsburg dynasty, this study sheds light on the complex and multifaceted ways in which race, identity, and power were negotiated and contested. It highlights the resilience and creativity of Afro-Hispanics in navigating a system of oppression and exploitation, and it contributes to our understanding of the rich and complex history of the African diaspora in Europe.

Weight: 480g
Dimension: 239 x 156 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198881063