Routledge Motherhood & Childlessness in Atlantic Slave Societies - Routledge

This scholarly collection examines the complex roles of mothering in Atlantic slave societies, exploring how enslaved women navigated repeated child loss, trauma, and forced caregiving for slaveholders' children. Drawing on research from historians based in Brazil, Cuba, the United States, and Britain, the book analyses mothering practices across diverse societies including medieval Spain, Brazil, and New England. The contributors demonstrate how motherhood was central to slavery's perpetuation while revealing the profound grief and resilience of enslaved mothers. This work breaks new ground by centering mothering as a critical lens for understanding Atlantic slavery, moving beyond romanticized narratives to expose the institutional violence embedded in enslaved women's reproductive and caregiving labour.