Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York by Andrea C. Mosterman (review)

Abstract

Andrea C. Mosterman’s Spaces of Enslavement examines the experiences of enslaved people in Dutch New York using historical spatial analysis, offering an in-depth study of the often-overlooked spaces where enslaved people lived and labored. Her thorough examinations of the physical places occupied by bound people demonstrate the necessity of seriously considering space and the built environment in slavery studies. As she effectively shows, the use of private and public space was contested through the institution of slavery. She pays particular attention to how the relationships between enslavers and the enslaved were articulated and mitigated through the occupation of and movement in and out of space, especially family homes, churches, and public areas. Mosterman thus demonstrates how Dutch American enslavers attempted to use the built environment to control and surveil enslaved people and how enslaved people resisted the restrictions and limits placed on their movements and occupation of various spaces.