Slaves, Freedmen and Indentured Laborers in Colonial Mauritius
Published on 27. April 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
244 pages
978-0-521-02782-3 (ISBN)
Description
In this wide-ranging social and economic history of the island of Mauritius, from French colonization in 1721 to the beginnings of modern political life in the colony in the mid-1930s, Richard Allen brings out the importance of domestic capital formation, particularly in the sugar industry. He describes the changing relationship between different elements in the society - slave, free and maroon, and East Indian indentured populations - and shows how these were conditioned by demographic changes, world markets and local institutions. Based on thorough archival research, and thoroughly attuned to contemporary debates, this 1999 book will bring the Mauritian case to the attention of scholars engaged in the comparative study of slavery and plantation systems.
Reviews / Votes
"Presents a history of slaves, freedmen, and indentured laborers in colonial Mauritius, exploring the role these populations played in shaping the Mauritian experience." Journal of Economic Literature "This is an excellent book and a genuine contribution to the history of slavery, sugar, and the European tropical economies." International Journal of African Historical Studies "It is an important book, and one that deserves wide readership by all those engaged in the study and research of plantation economies and the nature and impact of labor migration within the British Empire. Clare Anderson, Historian "meticulous study of labor, capital and social relations, ...Admirably interdisciplinary in scope...Allen has established an irrevocable milestone for the study of colonial economic and plantation societies" Amer His RevMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
26 Tables, unspecified; 2 Maps
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
402 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-02782-3 (9780521027823)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
1. Introduction; 2. Creating a garden of sugar: land, labor and capital, 1721-1936; Part I. Labor and Labor Relations: 3. A state of continual disquietude and hostility: maroonage and slave labor, 1721-1835; 4. Indentured labor and the legacy of maroonage: illegal absence; desertion, and vagrancy, 1835-1900; Part II. Land and the Mobilization of Domestic Capital: 5. Becoming an appropriated people: the rise of the free population of color, 1729-1830; 6. The general desire to possess land: ex-apprentices and the post-emancipation era, 1839-51; 7. The regenerators of agricultural prosperity: Indian immigrants and their descendants, 1834-1936; 8. Conclusion.