The Science of Abolition

Name: The Science of Abolition
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SKU: 9780300236804
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How Slaveholders Became the Enemies of Progress

By Eric Herschthal

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Summary

The Science of Abolition explores how abolitionists in Britain and America from the 1770s to the 1860s employed scientific ideas—spanning chemistry, botany, medicine, and mechanics—to challenge slavery. Historian Eric Herschthal reveals how these activists argued that slavery obstructed scientific progress and technological advancement, portraying it as an outdated institution destined to vanish. The book also examines the origins of the myth that slavery was premodern, amid recent scholarship recognising slavery's integration with modern capitalism and science.
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Format: Hardback

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The Science of Abolition

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This work is ideal for readers interested in history, abolitionism, science studies, and social justice, especially those seeking nuanced insights into the intersections of science and slavery's abolition in the 18th and 19th centuries.

A revealing look at how antislavery scientists and black and white abolitionists used scientific ideas to discredit slaveholders

Description

In the context of slavery, science is usually associated with slaveholders’ scientific justifications of racism. But The Science of Abolition demonstrates that abolitionists were equally adept at using scientific ideas to discredit slaveholders.

Focusing on antislavery scientists and black and white abolitionists in Britain and America between the 1770s and 1860s, historian Eric Herschthal shows how these activists drew upon chemistry, botany, medicine, and mechanics to portray slavery as a premodern institution bound for obsolescence. These activists contended that slavery stood in the way of scientific progress, blinded slaveholders to scientific evidence, and prevented enslavers from adopting labour-saving technologies that might eradicate enslaved labour.

Historians have recently begun to challenge the myth that slavery was premodern—backward—demonstrating slavery’s centrality to the rise of modern capitalism, science, and technology. This book demonstrates where the myth comes from in the first place.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its intellectual depth and innovation, this book offers a fresh perspective on the role science played in abolition. Nicholas Guyatt of the University of Cambridge calls it "a smart, wide-ranging and learned book" that reshapes understanding of science in the anti-slavery movement. Manisha Sinha highlights its timely investigation into an antislavery scientific tradition amid challenges to science itself. Deirdre Cooper Owens commends Herschthal for centring black thinkers and complicating narratives about science in both abolitionist and pro-slavery contexts.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300236804

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 13 July 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 10 b-w illus.

Audience: General / adult, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 29.0mm

Width: 156.0mm

Height: 235.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 344

Collections

American & Canadian History Education & Reference Eric Herschthal History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction Science & Nature

About the Author

Eric Herschthal is an assistant professor of history at the University of Utah. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the New Republic, the Washington Post, and the New York Review of Books, among other publications.