Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean by Randy M. Browne

Abstract

Reviewed by: Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean by Randy M. Browne Matthew Blake Strickland (bio) Browne, Randy M. Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017, 279 pp. ISBN 978-08122-490-8. Randy Browne states, "The basic premise of this book is that the struggle to survive was at the center of enslaved people's experience." Enslaved people lived in a milieu between the violence of white masters, harsh labour conditions, and the dictates of colonial administrators, all of which held considerable control over them. Taking the reader to the oft-ignored Berbice on the South American coast, Randy Browne uses an amazing treasure trove of documents to illuminate many of the actions and motivations of enslaved black people as they struggled to survive their bondage. Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean is a welcome instalment in the historiography of slavery, British Empire, and Caribbean history. Although he does not challenge the historiography of resistance and rebellion by enslaved people, Browne does indicate that his work is meant to add more nuance to the lived experiences of enslaved people living in the British Caribbean. Abstract ideas of "freedom" were not the primary thoughts held by enslaved people; day-to-day struggle often involved coping with their current situation as chattel. The institution of slavery shaped actions and relationships. As enslaved people made decisions and connections, survival was often the foremost thought. Because of this, Browne's research examines actions and relationships in a new and intriguing way. Particularly, Surviving Slavery examines the lives of enslaved people during a period of amelioration in the British Empire. This was a time marked by greater metropolitan debate and intervention regarding the treatment of enslaved people living and working in the British Caribbean. In six chapters, Browne shows the ways and the multiple arenas in which enslaved people attempted to survive their enslavement in Berbice during amelioration in the 1820s. In chapter one, Browne provides background information about Berbice. A large number of books written about the British Caribbean have [End Page 177] tended to focus on Jamaica and Barbados. Berbice, a Dutch colony until the late 1790s, had a unique legal system that provided a few more protections to enslaved people than the British legal system. The fiscal and protector of slaves were colonial officials tasked with hearing and investigating complaints made by enslaved people, primarily against their masters. Because of these offices, Berbice holds a unique place in the study of slavery in the British Caribbean. With these offices present in the colony, white planters were often the subject of complaints made by enslaved people. As he elucidates in chapter two, Browne shows that enslaved people and their masters were at odds about the way in which black people were treated. This included complaining to the protector about physical abuse, neglect, and overwork. Working on plantations was immensely harsh. However, complaining to the protector was not the only way to escape some of the more terrible conditions on plantations. Continuing into the third chapter, one means by which enslaved black men could increase their standing in the eyes of their masters was to take on the role of a driver. Drivers were enslaved black men who helped maintain control of other slaves on plantations. Black men chose to become drivers even though it put them at odds with other slaves because there were certain perks and advantages to having a leadership role on a plantation. In the sources used by Browne, black drivers were often the subject of contempt for their role in doling out violent punishments. Chapter four turns to the more personal connections formed between enslaved people by examining marriages and sexual relationships formed between enslaved people. Monogamous marriage was not prevalent among enslaved people in British slave societies. Polygamy–primarily polygyny–flourished among the enslaved population and was a clear West African tradition that survived the dreaded Middle Passage. In forming sexual relationships, men had fewer options for finding a partner than women. The demographic in Berbice and many other plantation societies found more males than females. For this reason, women often left relationships they considered to be abusive. Browne has also found...