Slavery Unseen: Sex, Power, and Violence in Brazilian History

by LaMonte Aidoo

In Slavery Unseen , Lamonte Aidoo upends the narrative of Brazil as a racial democracy, showing how the myth of racial democracy elides the history of sexual violence, patriarchal terror, and exploitation of slaves. Drawing on sources ranging from inquisition trial documents to travel accounts and literature, Aidoo demonstrates how interracial and same-sex sexual violence operated as a key mechanism of the production and perpetuation of slavery as well as racial and gender inequality. The myth of racial democracy, Aidoo contends, does not stem from or reflect racial progress; rather, it is an antiblack apparatus that upholds and protects the heteronormative white patriarchy throughout Brazil's past and on into the present.

Genres: History, Race, Theory, Brazil

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 10, 2018

Reviews

[ren]

Excellently written history of same-sex abuse of the enslaved in colonial Brazil; I knew nothing about Brazilian slavery or the Portugeuse Inquisition and was able to follow along just fine. Enlightening as to how race and gender informed enforcement of anti-sodomy and rape legislation.

I would bump it up to five stars if the chapter on same-sex relationships and abuse between women was stronger, it had lot of very interesting sources but with too little analysis.

[Marina Hernandez]

A tough but necessary unearthing of perspectives and experiences during the era of chattel slavery in Brazil. Aidoo unpacks some very complex ideologies around gender, sexuality, and race by examining the history of sexual violence against enslaved people.

[Patricio Simonetto]

Amazing!

[Maëlla K.]

It took me a couple of weeks to go through this book. Starting off with the analysis of testimonies really made me emotional. The storytelling lets you hear the voices of these people who were silenced and oppressed. It gives us a new perspective on the differences between the justification of slavery in the US and in France.