The Arming of Slaves in Comparative Perspective

A comparative analysis of the arming of slaves may shed light on the problems regarding the dynamics of power within slave societies, the nature of domination and resistance, and the paradoxes of mastery and enslavement. This book has provided case studies on the arming of slaves throughout thousands of years of history, focusing on the use of slave soldiers in regions from classical Greece to western Africa and the Middle East. It has examined how the arming of slaves expressed itself in either military slavery or the less sophisticated schemes commonly used in the Americas. It has also discussed slave recruitment and deployment and the reasons behind the arming of slaves, including blacks. In addition, the book has explored the consequences of the arming of slaves both for the enslaved and the institution of slavery itself.