Masters and their slaves. Neighborhoods and inequality -- Material and demographic changes -- Slave markets and networks -- Slaves and their masters. Family, work, and punishment -- Illness, recovery, and death -- Pathways to freedom : manumission and flight -- "Manumissionists," abolitionists, and emancipation
Summary
Despite the inherent brutality of slavery, some slaves could find small but important opportunities to act decisively. This book explores such moments of opportunity and resistance in Santos, a Southeastern township in Imperial Brazil. It argues that slavery in Brazil was hierarchical: slaves' fleeting chances to form families, work jobs that would not kill or maim, avoid debilitating diseases, or find a (legal or illegal) pathway out of slavery were highly influenced by their demographic background and their owners' social position
