Synopses & Reviews
David Lambert explores the political and cultural articulation of white creole identity in the British Caribbean colony of Barbados during the age of abolitionism (c.1780-1833), the period in which the British antislavery movement emerged, first to attack the slave trade and then the institution of chattel slavery itself. Supporters of slavery in Barbados and beyond responded with their own campaigning, resulting in a series of debates and moments of controversy, both localised and transatlantic in significance. They exposed tensions between Britain and its West Indian colonies, and raised questions about whether white slaveholders could be classed as fully 'British' and if slavery was compatible with 'English' conceptions of liberty and morality. David Lambert considers what it meant to be a white colonial subject in a place viewed as a vital and loyal part of the empire but subject to increasing metropolitan attack because of the existence of slavery.
Synopsis
David Lambert considers what it meant to be a white Briton in the West Indian colony of Barbados around the turn of the nineteenth century. The wealth of this British colony was based on the work of African slaves, but by this time more and more people were protesting against slavery. By considering the campaign against slavery from the perspective of the slaveholders, David Lambert offers a unique perspective into the consequences of these tumultuous times for a colony once renowned as the most loyal in the British Empire.
Synopsis
Explores the articulation of white creole identity in Barbados during the age of abolitionism.
About the Author
David Lambert is Lecturer in Human Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London. This is his first book.