European University Institute Library

The abolition of slavery in Ottoman Tunisia, Ismael M. Montana ; foreword by Ehud R. Toledano

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

The abolition of slavery in Ottoman Tunisia

bibliography

808215977

Ismael M. Montana ; foreword by Ehud R. Toledano

The first full examination of the factors for and against abolition in Tunisia and how it was able to occur in an environment hostile to such changeTunisia is known for being the first Muslim country to abolish slavery during the modern period. Although Ahmed Bey, the country's ruler in the mid-nineteenth century, was morally opposed to slavery, he did not have the broad support of the citizenry to enact reforms. Even religious leaders were against change, pointing to Islamic law's precedent for slave ownership. Yet Bey realized that increased European intervention throughout North Africa threatened Tunisian independence and thus embraced abolition as a progressive reform measure to safeguard its integrity and sovereignty. In this groundbreaking work, Ismael Montana fully explicates the complexity of Tunisian society and culture and reveals how abolition was able to occur in an environment hostile to such change. He reveals how European capitalism, political pressure, and evolving social dynamics throughout the western Mediterranean region helped shape this seismic abolition process. The result is a study that reassesses the impact of the broader transformations of the late eighteenth century on black slavery throughout North Africa and the Mediterranean lands of Islam --, Provided by Publisher

The slave trade from the Ottoman period -- Reforms and foreign trade, 1759-1814 -- Changing patterns of the slave trade, 1759-1814 -- The slave trade during European domination of the Mediterranean, 1815-1841 -- The road to abolition -- Final abolition, 1846 -- The aftermath of abolition, 1846-1855 -- Epilogue