Friends of God and Slaves of Men
Religion and Slavery, Past and Present
Kevin Bales author Michael Rota author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:27th Nov '25
Should be back in stock very soon
The first book-length study of religious responses to slavery across faiths from antiquity to the present day.
This groundbreaking book is the first major study of how religion has both justified and opposed slavery across faiths in the past and into the present day. It is for scholars, students, and readers interested in history, theology, and human rights.Religion and slavery have been connected since the beginning of human history, but their tangled relationship has rarely been dissected and truly understood. This groundbreaking book illuminates how religion has intersected with the institution of slavery, both as a force for its perpetuation and as a catalyst for its abolition. Spanning antiquity to the present day, this book offers a comprehensive overview of how Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other faiths have variously justified, moderated, restricted, or opposed slavery. Experts Kevin Bales and Michael Rota integrate historical, philosophical, theological, and social scientific perspectives to offer fresh interdisciplinary insights into this crucial social justice issue. Engaging contemporary challenges, it covers ISIS's religious justifications for enslavement and the role of the caste system in modern bondage. Finally, it highlights faith-based antislavery activism today and asks how religious communities can amplify their efforts to combat the enduring scourge of slavery worldwide.
'Using person-centered storytelling and probing analysis of religious writing, Bales and Rota's ambitious and accessible work is chronologically expansive and truly global. Today, as in the past, religious belief both enables and challenges slavery and herein the authors call us all to be abolitionists.' Catherine Armstrong, author of American Slavery, American Imperialism: US Perceptions of Global Servitude, 1870–1914
'This is an important and timely treatment of the relation between slavery and religion that is long overdue. Congratulations to Bales and Rota for a tremendous achievement.' Bernard K. Freamon, author of Possessed by the Right Hand: The Problem of Slavery in Islamic Law and Muslim Cultures
'This stunningly effective study is brim full of extremely valuable information on the place of slave-holding, slavery-defending, slavery-attacking, and slavery-restricting in Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu traditions throughout history-and similarly for the continuing religious justifications and multiplying religious opposition to human bondage in our own day. It is a landmark book treating a persistent human tragedy.' Mark A. Noll, author of The Civil War as a Theological Crisis
'Bales and Rota offer a groundbreaking, nuanced analysis of religion's transformative role in changing understandings and practices of slavery. With a sweeping geographical, chronological and thematic scope, spanning the major faith traditions across centuries, this important study reveals the significance of faith-based movements in shaping history's most significant emancipatory shifts.' Maeve Ryan, author of Humanitarian Governance and the British Anti-Slavery World System
'Pairing the long history of slavery with the long history of religious perspectives on slavery, Bales and Rota help us understand why slavery is alive and well in our world today and how to join the struggle against it. An encyclopedic and compelling overview.' Kathryn Kish Sklar, author of Women's Rights Emerges from within the Anti-Slavery Movement
ISBN: 9781009631129
Dimensions: 234mm x 159mm x 16mm
Weight: 520g
264 pages