Take a photo of a barcode or cover
bahareads 's review for:
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I LOVED LOVED this book this time around. It's crazy what a difference two years can make. Ferrer does amazing work tying so many threads together to create a big readable narrative. The comparative element brings everything together to show just how interconnected the region has always been.
__________________
First Review (Feb 18-22, 2022)
Ada Ferrer’s Freedom’s Mirror examines the Haitian Revolution’s contribution to creating deep-seated slavery in Cuba. Ferrer says the Haitian Revolution sped up the rise of the Cuban sugar revolution, fixing the cruel practices of enslavement that came with the increase in sugar production. The text shows that the growing power of slavery in Cuba is mirrored by the radical antislavery emerging from Haiti; Ferrer says it’s a story of slavery being unmade and made. Splitting the book into two sections: the first focuses on the period of the Haitian Revolution and the second section on the aftermath of the Revolution. Ferrer breaks down her argument into different threads. The first four chapters are focused on Cuba: before the Haitian Revolution, responses and broader understandings of the revolution, Cuban experience in Spanish Santo Domingo, and Cuba as a place of asylum and ally to Napoleon’s regime. The last three chapters study Haiti’s intellectual, diplomatic, and political effects in the Caribbean, broken down into the questions of if Haitian antislavery was promoted abroad, what instability was caused by Napoleon in 1808, and how affective was the antislavery and anti-colonial movement of Jose Antonio Aponte.
Building upon the historiographical idea of the second wave of slavery in the Americas, Ferrer intervenes to show that freedom was already present in the second wave. She challenges the assumption that abolition of slavery was already a foregone conclusion. While British abolition played a significant part in the anti-slavery movement during the second wave, Haiti was already present and advocating anti-slavery. Thus, this discussion wipes away an Anglophone narrative of slavery’s rise and fall. Examining Haiti and Cuba side by side shows the connections from first to second slavery by answering broad questions related to capitalism and the global history of slavery. Primary sources come from various places: Cuba, Spain, Haiti, France, England, and the United States. Ferrer uses the online database of The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. A wide range of secondary sources is used. The sources directly from Haiti appear limited in the bibliography.
The proximity of Cuba to Haiti shows each place would contend with the other as they grew in opposition of relation with one another. Ferrer’s narrative style is thick, with many references and examples. The constant hammering of anti-colonialism accompanying the antislavery movement was powerful. It is a reminder that resistance to colonialism and decolonisation efforts is not a new phenomenon but has always been present in the Caribbean. It helps me rethink my views of Haiti, as it is usually portrayed negatively in The Bahamas.
__________________
First Review (Feb 18-22, 2022)
Ada Ferrer’s Freedom’s Mirror examines the Haitian Revolution’s contribution to creating deep-seated slavery in Cuba. Ferrer says the Haitian Revolution sped up the rise of the Cuban sugar revolution, fixing the cruel practices of enslavement that came with the increase in sugar production. The text shows that the growing power of slavery in Cuba is mirrored by the radical antislavery emerging from Haiti; Ferrer says it’s a story of slavery being unmade and made. Splitting the book into two sections: the first focuses on the period of the Haitian Revolution and the second section on the aftermath of the Revolution. Ferrer breaks down her argument into different threads. The first four chapters are focused on Cuba: before the Haitian Revolution, responses and broader understandings of the revolution, Cuban experience in Spanish Santo Domingo, and Cuba as a place of asylum and ally to Napoleon’s regime. The last three chapters study Haiti’s intellectual, diplomatic, and political effects in the Caribbean, broken down into the questions of if Haitian antislavery was promoted abroad, what instability was caused by Napoleon in 1808, and how affective was the antislavery and anti-colonial movement of Jose Antonio Aponte.
Building upon the historiographical idea of the second wave of slavery in the Americas, Ferrer intervenes to show that freedom was already present in the second wave. She challenges the assumption that abolition of slavery was already a foregone conclusion. While British abolition played a significant part in the anti-slavery movement during the second wave, Haiti was already present and advocating anti-slavery. Thus, this discussion wipes away an Anglophone narrative of slavery’s rise and fall. Examining Haiti and Cuba side by side shows the connections from first to second slavery by answering broad questions related to capitalism and the global history of slavery. Primary sources come from various places: Cuba, Spain, Haiti, France, England, and the United States. Ferrer uses the online database of The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. A wide range of secondary sources is used. The sources directly from Haiti appear limited in the bibliography.
The proximity of Cuba to Haiti shows each place would contend with the other as they grew in opposition of relation with one another. Ferrer’s narrative style is thick, with many references and examples. The constant hammering of anti-colonialism accompanying the antislavery movement was powerful. It is a reminder that resistance to colonialism and decolonisation efforts is not a new phenomenon but has always been present in the Caribbean. It helps me rethink my views of Haiti, as it is usually portrayed negatively in The Bahamas.