Colonial Slavery An Abridged Translation

"This is a classic of Latin American Marxist thought. Originally published in 1978, the book uses the concept of mode of production and the conceptual instruments developed in Das Kapital to understand the organization of slave labor in Brazil and to seek 'laws' that explain in a more abstract way the structure and social reproduction in slavery societies of colonial America. It is perhaps the most emblematic book of Brazilian Marxism in the 1980s. An essential reading for anyone interested in the history of ideas and of Marxism in Latin America, O Escravismo Colonial continues to be revisited by Marxist authors today."

Antonio Sergio Guimarães, Professor of Sociology, Universidade de São Paulo

"With this work Gorender affirms the original character of Portuguese colonialism in Brazil. The author demonstrates that slavery was the structuring mode of production in Brazil, resulting in the kind of social relations that make the country what it is today. A required reading for all those who seek to understand racial inequalities in Brazil and the slaveholding Americas."

Fernando Conceição, Professor of Communication, Federal University of Bahia