The Politics of Reproduction: Race, Medicine, and Fertility in the Age of Abolition

During the age of abolition, British politicians, planters, and doctors attempted to exploit the fertility of Afro-Caribbean women to ensure the economic success of the British Empire. Katherine Paugh's book, The Politics of Reproduction, sheds fresh light on this issue and asserts that Britain's Caribbean colonies were essential in the emergence of population as a political problem. It also highlights the story of an enslaved midwife and her family in Barbados, illustrating how plantation management policies designed to promote fertility affected Afro-Caribbean women during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 12 August 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

During the era of abolition, a significant number of British politicians, planters, and doctors sought to capitalize on the fertility of Afro-Caribbean women's bodies in their pursuit of economic prosperity for the British Empire. Abolitionist reformers envisioned a self-sufficient labor force as a means to eradicate the Atlantic slave trade. By propagating the notion of fertility and its potential for economic growth, The Politics of Reproduction offers a fresh perspective on the debate surrounding whether abolitionism truly benefited the plantation colonies economically. At the same time, Katherine Paugh makes groundbreaking assertions about the significance of Britain's Caribbean colonies in the emergence of population as a political issue. The desire to manipulate the labor market on Caribbean plantations resulted in the implementation of novel governmental strategies for regulating sex and childbearing. These strategies included the establishment of centralized nurseries, discouraging extended breastfeeding, and offering financial incentives for childbearing. These practices, which are now commonplace in our modern world, were developed in response to the specific needs of managing sex and childbearing on Caribbean plantations.

While examining the politics of reproduction in the British Empire and its Caribbean colonies in the context of significant political events such as the Haitian Revolution, the study also delves into the island of Barbados. The remarkable story of an enslaved midwife and her family serves as a poignant illustration of how plantation management policies aimed at promoting fertility impacted Afro-Caribbean women during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The Politics of Reproduction relies on a diverse range of sources, including debates in the British Parliament and the Barbados House of Assembly, records of Barbadian plantations, tracts about plantation management published by doctors and plantation owners, and miscellanies.

By exploring these sources, The Politics of Reproduction provides a comprehensive account of the complex interplay between politics, reproduction, and the economic interests of the British Empire in its Caribbean colonies. It sheds light on the ways in which women's bodies were exploited and manipulated, while also highlighting the resilience and agency of Afro-Caribbean women in the face of oppressive policies. This book is a valuable contribution to the study of abolitionism, women's history, and the history of the Caribbean region.

Weight: 426g
Dimension: 233 x 152 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192863928