Slave Rebellion in Brazil

In the course of explaining the causes and context of the uprising, Reis provides a fascinating social history of urban life and the African community in a city that was (and is) one of the most important centers of African culture in the Americas.

[A] fine English translation... It is 'local history' at its best—superior scholarship enriched by Joao Jose Reis's familiarity with the Brazilian documentation... The arguments advanced concerning the construction of ethnicity and how it shaped the rebel conspiracy make this book a significant contribution to Brazilian history and to the literature on African culture as it evolved in the diaspora of slavery in the Americas.

Slave Rebellion in Brazil is, in sum, a superb example of the very best recent Brazilian scholarship on slavery. Uniting careful research with a sophisticated treatment of issues related to race, ethnicity, religion, class, and collective action, it deserves attention not only among scholars interested in New World slavery, but also from an even wider audience.

First-rate history.

This book is easily the best on its subject and is, by any standard, an excellent piece of scholarship and analysis.