HR968-7-SP-CO:
War and Slavery in the Atlantic World
PLEASE NOTE: This module is inactive. Visit the Module Directory to view modules and variants offered during the current academic year.
2023/24
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Inactive
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
20
21 February 2022
Requisites for this module
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In the Atlantic World, war and slavery were intimately entwined. In Africa, warfare created slaves, while slavery spawned warfare. In the Americas, armies consisting of slaves and free blacks fought alternately for and against slaveholders through the eighteenth century, while in the nineteenth century, war figured prominently in the destruction of slavery. This M.A. module examines the complex relationship between war and slavery in the Atlantic World between ca. 1450 and 1850.
It will begin with an examination of the role of warfare in the process of enslavement before exploring the many ways in which enslaved and freed people participated in warfare in the Americas. Topics will include: European and West African ideologies of warfare and enslavement; the 'predatory state' thesis; gender, warfare, and enslavement in Africa; the "gun-slave cycle"; free black militias in the Iberian colonies; the employment of black soldiers, free and enslaved, in the wars of the long eighteenth century; ex-soldiers and slave rebellion in the Americas; and the role of warfare in ending slavery. Students will be required to complete a historiographic essay on a topic of their choosing.
This will be a reading-intensive module. Students are expected to read an entire book every second week, along with substantial reading in between. Each student is expected to contribute to seminar discussions on a regular basis and to run the seminar (as part of a group) at least once.
The module aims to:
1. Familiarise students with historiographic debates surrounding the relationship between slavery and warfare in Africa and the Americas.
2. Acquaint students with the conventions of advanced (postgraduate) historical analysis and writing.
3. Provide students with a chance to carry on a high level historical discussion through seminar discussion and presentations.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Analyse in writing a body historical literature pertaining to a specific topic relating to slavery and warfare.
2. Analyse and debate the quality and significance of major secondary works pertaining to slavery and warfare.
Syllabus:
1. Enslavement and `Just War`
2. The `Predatory State` Thesis
3. The Gun-Slave and Horse-Slave Cycles
4. Gender, Enslavement, War
5. Conquistadors and Militia Men in Iberian America
6. Military Slavery and Black Regiments in the British Army
7. Warfare, Rebellion, and Revolution
8. Slavery and the US Civil War
9. Cuba`s Ten Years` War and Brazil`s Paraguayan War
10. Your Essay: Putting it all Together
One two-hour seminar once a week for 10 weeks.
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
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Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Prof Sean Kelley, email: skelley@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Sean Kelley
Senior Student Administrator, Department of History, Telephone: 01206 872190
Yes
Yes
Yes
Prof Rohan McWilliam
Anglia Ruskin University
professor of Modern Hritish History
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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