Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Historiography on Mediterranean slavery has traditionally focused on male captivity, often overlooking the presence and agency of enslaved women. This article challenges this androcentric perspective by examining the experiences of some enslaved women from Bona (Annaba), captured during the Tuscan raid of 1607 and held in Livorno and Pisa. Through an analysis of petitions, acts of defiance, and negotiations for ransom, this study demonstrates how these women, despite their marginalized status, actively resisted their enslaved condition. Their collective actions, ranging from formal pleas to disruptive protests such as arson, reveal the diverse strategies enslaved women employed to assert agency within oppressive systems. By focusing on these women’s responses to their captivity, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersection of gender and slavery in the Mediterranean, revealing the complexities of resistance in contexts often characterized by archival silences.
Source: Slavery and Abolition
Author: Benedetta Chizzolini
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4411869133