Del i serien Routledge Approaches to History

Profitability and Economic Rationality of Slavery in a Historical Perspective

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

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Profitability and Economic Rationality of Slavery in a Historical Perspective examines slavery as an economic institution across the longue durée, from the ancient Near East and classical Mediterranean to the modern Atlantic world. Moving beyond traditional moral or ideological interpretations, the volume investigates how systems of slavery were justified, organized, and sustained within different historical, social, and economic contexts. Particular attention is devoted to the historiographical legacy of the modern abolitionist debate, which introduced analytical categories such as profitability, efficiency, and rationality that continue to shape the study of slavery in both modern and ancient societies.Bringing together specialists of modern, ancient Near Eastern, Greek, and Roman history, this book adopts a deliberately comparative and diachronic perspective. The contributions explore themes including pro-slavery thought in Enlightenment Europe, the persistence of slavery in nineteenth-century Cuba, the valuation of enslaved persons in Mesopotamia and Egypt, female and child labor in the ancient world, slave markets, manumission practices, and the relationship between enslaved and free labor. Collectively, the essays challenge simplistic assumptions about slavery’s inherent irrationality or inefficiency and instead highlight its adaptability as a system of labor organization, capital investment, and social control.This volume will be of interest to scholars and students of slavery studies, ancient history, economic history, labor history, and comparative historical sociology, as well as to readers interested in the long-term historical dynamics of coercion, labor, and economic institutions.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-11-02
Mått156 x 234 x undefined mm
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieRoutledge Approaches to History
Antal sidor248
FörlagTaylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN9781041101611

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Elena Devecchi is Associate Professor of History of Ancient Western Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean at the University of Turin. After earning her PhD at the University of Venice, she held research and teaching positions in Germany, Belgium, and Austria. Her work focuses on international relations in the Late Bronze Age, especially historical and diplomatic texts from Anatolia and Syria, as well as the socio-economic history of Kassite Babylonia.Marcello Valente is Associate Professor of Greek History at the University of Eastern Piedmont. After earning his PhD at University of Chieti-Pescara, he held research and teaching position at University of Turin. His work focuses on social and economic history of ancient Greece and Greek historiography.

IntroductionElena Devecchi and Marcello ValenteChapter 1The Foundations of Pro-slavery Thought in the Age of EnlightenmentPatrizia DelpianoChapter 2Slavery, Economy, Nature in 18th Century DebatesFederico BonanseaChapter 3Slavery in the Age of Abolition. Inter-Caribbean Networks and Freedom’s Petitions in 19th Century CubaMatilde FlamigniChapter 4Slave Bodies, Slave Roles: Specification and Unfocused Anxiety in Old Babylonian ContextsSeth RichardsonChapter 5Slavery in Kassite Babylonia: Evidence, Scale and Socio-Economic ImplicationsElena DevecchiChapter 6Comparative Pricing of Slaves and Other Commodities in Egypt: from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemaic Period (c. 1200–30 BCE)Ella KarevChapter 7Ancient Slavery and Ancient Economic History: In Search of a LinkKostas VlassopoulosChapter 8Female Slavery in Classical Athens: Slaving Strategies and ProfitabilityDaniela MarchiandiChapter 9Slaves as Fixed Capital in Ancient Greece: An Economic Interpretation of paramone in the Manumission Inscriptions of DelphiMarcello ValenteChapter 10Slave Market in the Roman Republic: Cheap Labor and Luxury GoodsMattia BalboChapter 11No Child’s Play: Revaluing Child labour in Roman Slavery Through a Production and Consumption ModelUlrike Roth