DOC Technology and Science in Ancient Civilizations (Praeger Series on the Ancient World) by From Praeger in History

Description

Analyzing slavery and other forms of servitude in six non-state indigenous societies of tropical America at the time of European contact; Vital Enemies offers a fascinating new approach to the study of slavery based on the notion of "political economy of life." Fernando Santos-Granero draws on the earliest available historical sources to provide novel information on Amerindian regimes of servitude; sociologies of submission; and ideologies of capture. Estimating that captive slaves represented up to 20 percent of the total population and up to 40 percent when combined with other forms of servitude; Santos-Granero argues that native forms of servitude fulfill the modern understandings of slavery; though Amerindian contexts provide crucial distinctions with slavery as it developed in the American South. The Amerindian understanding of life forces as being finite; scarce; unequally distributed; and in constant circulation yields a concept of all living beings as competing for vital energy. The capture of human beings is an extreme manifestation of this understanding; but it marks an important element in the ways Amerindian "captive slavery" was misconstrued by European conquistadors. Illuminating a cultural facet that has been widely overlooked or miscast for centuries; Vital Enemies makes possible new dialogues regarding hierarchies in the field of native studies; as well as a provocative re-framing of pre- and post-contact America.