THE PRICE OF "COARTACIÓN" IN THE HISPANIC CARIBBEAN: HOW MUCH FREEDOM DOES THE MASTER OWE TO THE SLAVE?
This article examines the concept of coartación, a specific type of manumission that pertained to slavery in the Hispanic Caribbean, through which slaves were allowed to purchase their freedom on a gradual basis. They were considered 'free' in exchange for compensation for the owner. Howev...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pluto Journals
2012-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Cuban Studies |
| Online Access: | https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.2307/41945976 |
| Summary: | This article examines the concept of coartación, a specific type of manumission that pertained to slavery in the Hispanic Caribbean, through which slaves were allowed to purchase their freedom on a gradual basis. They were considered 'free' in exchange for compensation for the owner. However, coartados became troublemakers when there was a shift in the meaning of their condition and its regulation. Although a new legal space was opened for them, coartados lost their status as a kind of servant elite and they found this to be a major disadvantage. This latter circumstance was a side effect of the Cuban sugar revolution. The economic structure implied that coercive labour and work motivation was not a good match, especially when the institution of slavery was in crisis. Eventually, manumission stopped being an intrinsic quality of coartación. |
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| ISSN: | 1756-3461 1756-347X |