About the book
In Conceiving Freedom, Camillia Cowling shows how gender shaped urban routes to freedom for the enslaved during the process of gradual emancipation in Cuba and Brazil, which occurred only after the rest of Latin America had abolished slavery and even after the American Civil War. Focusing on late nineteenth-century Havana and Rio de Janeiro, Cowling argues that enslaved women played a dominant role in carving out freedom for themselves and their children through the courts.
Cowling examines how women, typically illiterate but with access to scribes, instigated myriad successful petitions for emancipation, often using “free-womb” laws that declared that the children of enslaved women were legally free. She reveals how enslaved women’s struggles connected to abolitionist movements in each city and the broader Atlantic World, mobilizing new notions about enslaved and free womanhood. She shows how women conceived freedom and then taught the “free-womb” generation to understand and shape the meaning of that freedom. Even after emancipation, freed women would continue to use these claims-making tools as they struggled to establish new spaces for themselves and their families in post emancipation society.
Editions of Conceiving Freedom
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781469610870
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469610887
- EBook
- ISBN 9798890844699
- EBook
- ISBN 9798893130645
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469611808
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469610894
Read an Excerpt
In Conceiving Freedom, Camillia Cowling shows how gender shaped urban routes to freedom for the enslaved during the process of gradual emancipation in Cuba and Brazil, which occurred only after the rest of Latin America had abolished slavery and even after the American Civil War. Focusing on late nineteenth-century Havana and Rio de Janeiro, Cowling argues that enslaved women played a dominant role in carving out freedom for themselves and their children through the courts.
Cowling examines how women, typically illiterate but with access to scribes, instigated myriad successful petitions for emancipation, often using “free-womb” laws that declared that the children of enslaved women were legally free. She reveals how enslaved women’s struggles connected to abolitionist movements in each city and the broader Atlantic World, mobilizing new notions about enslaved and free womanhood. She shows how women conceived freedom and then taught the “free-womb” generation to understand and shape the meaning of that freedom. Even after emancipation, freed women would continue to use these claims-making tools as they struggled to establish new spaces for themselves and their families in post emancipation society.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Conceiving Freedom about?
In Conceiving Freedom, Camillia Cowling shows how gender shaped urban routes to freedom for the enslaved during the process of gradual emancipation in Cuba and Brazil, which occurred only after the rest of Latin America had abolished slavery and even after the American Civil War. Focusing on late nineteenth-century Havana and Rio de Janeiro, Cowling argues that enslaved women played a dominant role in carving out freedom for themselves and their children through the courts.
Cowling examines how women, typically illiterate but with access to scribes, instigated myriad successful petitions for emancipation, often using “free-womb” laws that declared that the children of enslaved women were legally free. She reveals how enslaved women’s struggles connected to abolitionist movements in each city and the broader Atlantic World, mobilizing new notions about enslaved and free womanhood. She shows how women conceived freedom and then taught the “free-womb” generation to understand and shape the meaning of that freedom. Even after emancipation, freed women would continue to use these claims-making tools as they struggled to establish new spaces for themselves and their families in post emancipation society.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Conceiving Freedom?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Conceiving Freedom?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781469610870
How long is Conceiving Freedom and how many pages does it have?
Conceiving Freedom has 344 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Conceiving Freedom?
Camillia Cowling
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Conceiving Freedom is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781469610870) and paperback(ISBN 9781469610887) and ebook(ISBN 9798890844699) and ebook(ISBN 9798893130645) and ebook(ISBN 9781469611808) and ebook(ISBN 9781469610894)
Where can I buy Conceiving Freedom online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Conceiving Freedom from below
Where can I buy Conceiving Freedom?