Slave Women in Caribbean Society, 1650–1832: Slave Women in Caribbean Society, 1650-1838

Bush (social and political studies, Parson Cross College, Sheffield) draws on contemporary historical sources and on anthropological and sociological studies of African and Caribbean societies and makes comparisons with the lives of slaves in America's Old South in this study of the slave woman's experience.

"... pioneering study in an area long neglected by historians." — Women's Review of Books

"... we must admire this as an important and interesting contribution." — The Times of the Americas

"Bush's well-organized and clearly written book will appeal to readers interested in women's studies and comparative studies of the black diaspora.... readable and valuable... " — Choice

"... Bush's outstanding contribution is documenting women's unique resistance: They did everything they could not to bear children." — New Directions For Women

"... extremely informative and enjoyable to read, performing the valuable contribution of collecting and analysing data about a relatively neglected topic... " — Gender and History

"Both the general reader and the academic specialist should find this book a valuable contribution to the discourse on gender and slave relations in plantation America" — International Migration Review

This is the first book on black slave women to take into account the complexities of gender, race, and class which made their experience of slavery different from that of the black men. Bush challenges certain myths surrounding black women's lives as workers, mothers, and as activists in the vanguard of resistance to slavery.

For Review See: Bridget Brereton, In Slavery And Abolition : A Journal Of Comparative Studies, Vol. 13, Nr. 2 (august 1992); P. 86-96. 1. The 'invisible' Black Woman In Caribbean History: An Introduction -- 2. 'the Eyes Of The Beholder': Contemporary European Images Of Black Women -- 3. Slave Society, Power And Law: The Institutional Context Of Slave Women's Lives -- 4. Plantation Labour Regimes: The Economic Role Of Slave Women -- 5. The Woman Slave And Slave Resistance -- 6. 'the Family Tree Is Not Cut': The Domestic Life Of The Woman Slave -- 7. Slave Motherhood: Childbirth And Infant Death In A Cross-cultural Perspective. Barbara Bush. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 172-182) And Index.