Slavery, Resistance and Repression: A Quantitative Empirical Investigation
Abstract
In this article, we study what individual and social characteristics made it more likely for an individual to resist slavery. We employ a unique census from the Caribbean island of St. Croix in 1846, which allows us to study not only the characteristics of those that did resist slavery, but also of the whole enslaved population on the island. We analyze this data by using descriptive statistics as well as econometric analysis. Our findings show that relative deprivation played no role: individuals were as likely to resist slavery regardless of the relative status of the position they held. Resistance might have been more likely on small establishments, possibly the consequence of a greater level of trust among smaller groups of enslaved individuals. Gender also played a role in the types of resistance undertaken, and thereby possibly also in the risk of being detected and punished.
Date
2024-03Author
Rönnbäck, Klas
Theodoridis, Dimitrios
Galli, Stefania
Keywords
resistance
repression
slavery
census
Danish West Indies
Caribbean
Publication type
report
ISSN
1653-1000 online version
1653-1019 print version
Series/Report no.
Göteborg Papers in Economic History 38
Language
eng