To Be a Slave in Brazil: 1550-1888

by Katia M. De Queiros Mattoso

Book Overview

This book was published originally in French in 1979 and in Portuguese in 1982. Written without scholarly footnotes for a general readership, it is a deceptively simple book direct in its presentation, lacking a specialized jargon, and organized in an imaginative and interesting way. But it also is a volume that reflects some of the most recent and innovative research on the question of slavery. Putting aside the somewhat arid debate over the feudal...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813511550
• ISBN13: 9780813511559
• Release Date: August 1987
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

TO BE A SLAVE IN BRAZIL

The roots and leaves of the institution of slavery in Brazil, is what this book focuses on. We travel the trade route from Africa to England to South America. Katia M. de Queiros Mattoso's goal is to show us that, contrary to popular belief, the new slaves who were ripped from their homeland were "docile" and " ready to accept their new status as slaves" (85). She brings us into a world that shows no matter what the slaves were, they were not faceless, emotionless savages the Europeans wanted to reduce them to.Mattoso's coverage of three centuries is an attempt to encompass the truth of slavery, not the "assumed" myth of so many other scholars (85). Wonderfully organized and thought provoking, she shows us a world few have seen, so that we may see the truth. She avoids the overbearing this is how it is, and that is that, statements by giving us human images, their motivations and encounters that a slave would have likely run acrossand have experienced. The arguments that Mattoso offers are very persuasive to readers because she appeals to our sense of humanity. Mattoso shows us tables, statistics, historical documentation and finally puts all of these into a person whom we can relate. The goal to show that slaves were an integral part of the society in which they lived begins to take shape as a sound theory later in the book. For example in chapter five we see slaves in Brazil taking part in many activities, from skilled work to common tasks such as the education of children and family life. This range of activities shows just how engrained slaves were in their new society, for the children their only society. To Be a Slave in Brazil shows us the many thoughts and going-ons that happened throughout the slave trade. The book introduces us to the New World as aslave and slave owner would see it, not as how we fantasize it was. There are truths and facts to support these claims made by Mattoso. Written for all, she uses all sources available, both familiar and original, and manages to put a new spin on an old tale.Students and scholars alike should put this book on their to do list