Black Narratives of Slavery: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

This Very Short Introduction brings together a wide range of narratives of slavery across a broad historical period to understand how Black people--enslaved and not-enslaved--have experienced and imagined slavery. It also investigates how slavery's long reach and afterlife has continued to shape Black life in the twenty-first century. By giving attention to the narratives produced during the last two hundred plus years, this volume examines American chattel slavery as a specific historical period that legally ended in 1865, and yet recognizes its impacts, effects, and significance as extending into the twenty-first century. Slave narratives tie the life of slavery its abolition with its afterlife and the reconfigurations that followed--Black Codes, Jim Crow segregation, and many other forms of disenfranchisement.

Robert J. Patterson examines so-called "traditional" slave narratives alongside writings from non-enslaved Black people in the nineteenth century, the imaginative works of twentieth century fiction, and twenty-first century cinema to create a compelling and informative introduction to the long historical arc of slavery woven into the cultural and political fabric of America.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Author: Robert J. Patterson
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 04/21/2026
Series: Very Short Introductions
Pages: 176
Weight: 0.31lbs
Size: 6.89h x 4.85w x 0.39d
ISBN: 9780197678374