Orlando Patterson's classic study of slavery in Jamaica reveals slavery
for what it was: a highly repressive and destructive system of human
exploitation, which disregarded and distorted almost all of the basic
prerequisites of normal social life. What distinguishes Patterson's
account is his detailed description of the lives and culture of slaves
under this repressive regime. He analyses the conditions of slave life
and work on the plantations, the psychological life of slaves and the
patterns and meanings of life and death. He shows that the real-life
situation of slaves and enslavers involved a complete breakdown of all
major social institutions, including the family, gender relations,
religion, trust and morality. And yet, despite the repressiveness and
protracted genocide of the regime, slaves maintained some space of their
own, and their forced adjustment to white norms did not mean that they
accepted them. Slave culture was characterized by a persistent sense of
resentment and injustice, which underpinned the day-to-day resistance
and large-scale rebellions that were a constant feature of slave
society, the last and greatest of which partly accounts for its
abolition.
This second edition includes a new introduction by Orlando Patterson,
which explains the origins of the book, appraises subsequent works on
Jamaican slavery, and reflects on its enduring relevance. Widely
recognized as a foundational work on the social institution of slavery,
this book is an essential text for anyone interested in the role of
slavery in shaping the modern world.
