Freedom's Captives: Slavery and Gradual Emancipation on the Colombian Black Pacific

Freedom's Captives explores the gradual abolition of slavery in Colombia's Pacific coast, arguing that it created new forms of social domination and temporarily instituted de facto slavery. It uses narrative and storytelling to map the worlds of Free Womb children, enslaved women miners, free black boatmen, and white abolitionists in the Andean highlands.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 01 September 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Freedom's Captives: A Captivating Exploration of the Gradual Abolition of Slavery in Colombia's Majority-Black Pacific Coast
Colombia's majority-black Pacific coast, the largest area in the Americas inhabited primarily by people of African descent, is the setting for Freedom's Captives, a compelling exploration of the gradual abolition of slavery. Through the lens of narrative and storytelling, Yesenia Barragan rethinks the nineteenth-century project of emancipation, arguing that the liberal freedom generated through gradual emancipation constituted a modern mode of racial governance that birthed new forms of social domination while temporarily instituting de facto slavery.

Barragan's book delves into the worlds of Free Womb children, enslaved women miners, free black boatmen, and white abolitionists in the Andean highlands, providing a vivid insight into how the Atlantic World processes of gradual emancipation and post-slavery rule unfolded in Colombia. She highlights how slaveholders in Colombia came to have an even greater stake in slavery, despite the ostensible goal of destroying it.

One of the key themes of Freedom's Captives is the role of narrative and storytelling in shaping the historical narrative of slavery. Barragan argues that the stories told by enslaved people and their descendants have been marginalized and ignored, leading to a distorted understanding of the past. By reclaiming these stories and making them visible, Barragan seeks to challenge the dominant narratives of slavery and promote a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the history of slavery in Colombia.

Another important aspect of Freedom's Captives is the way in which it challenges the notion of gradual emancipation as a progressive and benevolent process. Barragan argues that while gradual emancipation may have been intended to destroy slavery, it actually had the opposite effect. Slaveholders in Colombia became more invested in slavery, as they were able to exploit the labor of enslaved people for longer periods of time and with greater intensity. This led to the development of new forms of social domination, such as forced labor and indentured servitude, which were designed to maintain the economic and social power of slaveholders.

Freedom's Captives also explores the role of white abolitionists in the abolitionist movement in Colombia. Barragan argues that while white abolitionists were instrumental in the abolition of slavery, they often had their own agendas and interests. They were often motivated by a desire to maintain their own economic and social power, and they often worked to undermine the efforts of enslaved people and their descendants.

One of the most compelling aspects of Freedom's Captives is the way in which it uses narrative and storytelling to bring the history of slavery to life. Barragan uses a variety of techniques, including oral history, historical fiction, and visual imagery, to create a vivid and immersive experience for the reader. She also includes a number of interviews with enslaved people and their descendants, which provide a firsthand account of the experiences of slavery.

One of the challenges that Barragan faces in writing Freedom's Captives is the lack of historical documentation. Many of the records of slavery in Colombia were destroyed or lost during the colonial period, and this has made it difficult to reconstruct the history of slavery in the region. Barragan has worked tirelessly to gather as much historical documentation as possible, and she has used a variety of sources, including oral history, historical fiction, and visual imagery, to fill in the gaps.

Despite these challenges, Freedom's Captives is a powerful and important book that sheds light on the history of slavery in Colombia. It challenges the dominant narratives of slavery and promotes a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the history of slavery in the region. It also provides a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in the history of slavery and its impact on society.

In conclusion, Freedom's Captives is a compelling exploration of the gradual abolition of slavery in Colombia's majority-black Pacific coast. Through the lens of narrative and storytelling, Yesenia Barragan rethinks the nineteenth-century project of emancipation, arguing that the liberal freedom generated through gradual emancipation constituted a modern mode of racial governance that birthed new forms of social domination while temporarily instituting de facto slavery. By reclaiming the stories of enslaved people and their descendants, Barragan seeks to challenge the dominant narratives of slavery and promote a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the history of slavery in Colombia. Despite the challenges that Barragan faces in writing Freedom's Captives, it is a powerful and important book that sheds light on the history of slavery in the region and provides a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in the history of slavery and its impact on society.

ISBN-13: 9781108941051