Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean by Randy M. Browne (review)

Randy Browne states, “The basic premise of this book is that the struggle to survive was at the center of enslaved people’s experience.” Enslaved people lived in a milieu between the violence of white masters, harsh labour conditions, and the dictates of colonial administrators, all of which held considerable control over them. Taking the reader to the oft-ignored Berbice on the South American coast, Randy Browne uses an amazing treasure trove of documents to illuminate many of the actions and motivations of enslaved black people as they struggled to survive their bondage. Surviving Slavery in the British Caribbean is a welcome instalment in the historiography of slavery, British Empire, and Caribbean history. Although he does not challenge the historiography of resistance and rebellion by enslaved people, Browne does indicate that his work is meant to add more nuance to the lived experiences of enslaved people living in the British Caribbean. Abstract ideas of “freedom” were not the primary thoughts held by enslaved people; day-to-day struggle often involved coping with their current situation as chattel. The institution of slavery shaped actions and relationships. As enslaved people made decisions and connections, survival was often the foremost thought. Because of this, Browne’s research examines actions and relationships in a new and intriguing way. Particularly, Surviving Slavery examines the lives of enslaved people during a period of amelioration in the British Empire. This was a time marked by greater metropolitan debate and intervention regarding the treatment of enslaved people living and working in the British Caribbean. In six chapters, Browne shows the ways and the multiple arenas in which enslaved people attempted to survive their enslavement in Berbice during amelioration in the 1820s. In chapter one, Browne provides background information about Berbice. A large number of books written about the British Caribbean have Book Reviews