Acknowledgements
This volume is based on the proceedings of a workshop titled âSlavery in the Black Sea Region, c. 900â1900: Forms of Unfreedom at the Intersection between Christianity and Islamâ, held at Leiden University in May 2017. I would like to extend my deepest thanks to all the contributors for the patient and meticulous revisions of their chapters in the three years that it took to prepare this volume for publication. Many thanks also to the two anonymous reviewers who challenged us all to refine our arguments and improve the logic and unity of our project.
This volume would not have been possible without the constant support and flexibility of our Brill editors, Debbie de Wit and Gerda Danielsson Coe, as well as the encouragement and occasional brainstorming and proofreading sessions offered by the series editors, Damian Alan Pargas and Jeffrey Fynn-Paul.
Lastly, our gratitude goes to the sponsors who made the workshop possible in the first place: The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society, Leiden University Institute for History, and the Leiden University Fund.