Chapitre 1. La traite et l’esclavage en Afrique orientale et dans l’océan Indien : une historiographie éclatée

Revisiting Slavery and the Slave Trade in Ethiopia

“…A brilliant example is produced by Henri Médard who assesses the state of knowledge on slavery and slave trade in the East African region and the Indian Ocean. 19 Some of the themes he tackles, like the influence of slaves on the modes of production, the abolition of slavery, slave resistance, and identities (gender, ethnicity, diaspora) could structure any enquiry on slavery in Ethiopia. Most of the examples he relies on are drawn from the Swahili coast, Central Africa, Mozambique, the Cape Colony, and the Indian Ocean islands (Madagascar, Mascareignes, Seychelles); Médard also acknowledges how limited is the research on slavery in Ethiopia.…”