'One of our most brilliant contemporary thinkers' Claudia Rankine 'An unrelenting
exploration of slavery and freedom' New Yorker In this radical re-evaluation of American
history Saidiya Hartman draws together a striking portrait of nineteenth-century slavery and
its many afterlives. Through close examination of a variety of 'scenes' ranging from the
auction block and the minstrel show to plantation diaries and legal cases Scenes of Subjection
investigates the interconnected nature of historical enslavement and present-day racism. With
bold and persuasively argued possibilities for Black resistance and transformation this book
shows how far we have yet to go to dismantle the pervasive legacy of slavery.
