Classen, Albrecht, ed. Incarceration and Slavery in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age: A Cultural-Historical Investigation of the Dark Side in the Pre-Modern World. Lexington Books: 2021, pp. 517

Abstract

Abstract Springing from a conference held at the University of Arizona in November 2020, at a time when we all very much felt “imprisoned” in our own homes because of the coronavirus, Incarceration and Slavery has much to contribute to these interconnected fields. With an impressive chronological span (from early medieval to the seventeenth century), it is expansive also geographically, with chapters centered on Aquitaine, Egypt, England, the Holy Roman Empire, Iberia, Iceland, Italy, the Middle East, and the Ottoman Empire. Although the contributions are uneven in quality, a number of true gems shine through.