Abstract
The contributions in this volume investigate slavery and the slave trade in the wider Black Sea area between c.900 and 1900, with a focus on the medieval and early modern periods. The authors explore the Black Sea region as an encounter zone of cultures, legal regimes, religions, and enslavement practices. The topics discussed in the chapters include: Byzantine slavery, slave trade patterns in the late medieval period, the position of Christian institutions vis-Ã -vis slavery, captive-taking by Tatar and cossack raiders, the position of Circassians in the Black Sea slave trade, and comparisons among the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic. The aim of this project is to stimulate a wider discussion on the patterns of unfreedom that were present in the Black Sea area as well as to draw attention to the importance of this region in the broader debates on global slavery.