Slavery in the Global Middle Ages

Harvard FAS

Slavery was a ubiquitous phenomenon in Europe, Africa, and Asia in the centuries between the fall of Rome and the rise of the Atlantic slave system. Using a mixture of primary and secondary readings, this course offers students a survey of the medieval forms of slavery in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian Ocean, with additional comparative readings where relevant. A major focus will be the distinctly gendered forms of slavery that emerged in Christian and Muslim lands in…