Description
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.
About the Author
Bales, Kevin: - Kevin Bales is Professor of Contemporary Slavery and co-founder of the Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, and the American NGO, Free the Slaves. His book Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy has been published in twelve languages. Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the book 'a well researched, scholarly and deeply disturbing expose of modern slavery.' The film based on Disposable People, which he co-wrote, won the Peabody Award and two Emmys.Rota, Michael: - Michael Rota is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. He has authored scholarly articles on the definition of slavery and on the relevance of moral psychology to the history of abolition, as well as numerous contributions to the philosophy of religion.