Modern humanities

SERENA DI NEPI
SERENA DI NEPI

The course aims to provide knowledge and understanding of the methodological, critical and applicable aspects of the Discipline; it proposes geographical areas and sectorial perspectives in which related projects are activated; it shows the variability of fields of interest; it enables the student to master the specific topics in order to use them and apply them in other fields of study while using the correct specific language. With the acquired knowledge the student will be able to develop autonomous ability of connections with other disciplines in the various historical epochs and cultural contexts.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

- Demonstrate foundational knowledge and understanding of the main aspects of the history of enslavement in its various forms, with an initial level of monographic depth;
- Understand and critically engage with the historiographical debate concerning the history of enslavement and the different trades, with particular attention to the specific characteristics of the Atlantic and Mediterranean contexts;
- Identify and analyze the historical positioning of the history of enslavement and the various trades, with particular attention to the specific characteristics of the Atlantic and Mediterranean trades;
- Distinguish between and analyze the main types of primary and secondary sources on the history of enslavement and the different trades, especially with reference to the Atlantic and Mediterranean cases;
- Analyze the evolution of historiographical debates on the history of enslavement and the various trades, with particular focus on the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions;
- Engage critically with a key area of international early modern historical research and discussion: the global history of enslavement;
- Acquire the analytical tools and command of relevant terminology necessary to present the history of enslavement and the different trades in a critical manner, with particular focus on the Atlantic and Mediterranean contexts;
- Develop the tools to independently pursue further knowledge and competencies regarding the history of enslavement and the various trades, especially in relation to the specific characteristics of the Atlantic and Mediterranean worlds.

first year 12 ECTS course of Early Modern History

"The History of Enslavement in the Early Modern Period"

This course aims to introduce students to the history of enslavement in the early modern era and to critically engage with the most recent historiographical developments on the subject. The initial sessions will focus on the Atlantic trade, examining its specific characteristics and its evolution within broader commercial networks and imperial competition of the time. A second set of classes will address Mediterranean enslavement, exploring its particular categories and considering the interplay of practices, representations, and regulations across different trades from a comparative and diachronic perspective. The course will have a workshop-based format, and critical in-class reading of the famous autobiograhy by Olaudah Equiano will be an integral part of the learning process. Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly encouraged.

Mandatory reading:
Herbert S. Klein, Il commercio atlantico degli schiavi, Roma, Carocci 2014
L'incredibile storia di Olaudah Equiano, o Gustavus Vassa, detto l'Africano, Perugia, Occam Editore, 2023



One book among:
Serena Di Nepi, I confini della salvezza. Schiavitù, conversione e libertà nella Roma di età moderna, Roma, Viella, 2022
Giovanna Fiume, Mediterraneo corsaro. Storie di schiavi, pirati e rinnegati in età moderna, Roma, Carocci 2025.
Toby Green, Per un pugno di conchiglie. L'Africa occidentale dall'inizio della tratta degli schiavi all'Età delle rivoluzioni, Torino, Einaudi, 2022
Aurélia Michel, Il bianco e il negro. Indagine storica sull'ordine razzista, Torino, Einaudi, 2021

This in-presence course will be laboratory-based. Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly encouraged

Optional

The exam consists of an oral interview covering the topics discussed in the course. Students will be expected to critically engage with the subject matter, drawing on the required bibliography. Final grades range from 18 to 30 with honors (cum laude). A grade below 18 will be considered a failing mark.

Durante l'esame, sarà richiesto di discutere criticamente la bibliografia indicata alla luce del dibattito storiografico sul tema.

• Course introduction


• How to study enslavemet?
  • Books: open debate


• The Atlantic slave trade and the West I
  • Books: Klein, ch. 1


• Enslavement in the Mediterranean
  • Books: Klein, ch. 4 + Fiume


• The trade and the Americas in long-distance commerce
  • Books: Klein, ch. 2


• The problem of empires
  • Books: Klein, ch. 2


• Africa and slavery – introduction to Equiano
  • Books: Klein, ch. 3 + Equiano


• Africa in the age of the Atlantic slave trade
  • Books: Klein, ch. 3 + Green


• The organization of the trade in Africa
  • Books: Klein, ch. 5 + Green


• A Handful of Shells? 
  • Books: Green


• Guided reading of Equiano – childhood and capture


• Guided reading of Equiano – crossing a continent


• The Middle Passage
  • Books: Klein, ch. 6


• Guided reading of Equiano – the Middle Passage


• Workshop on Slave Voyages


• Converting and saving slaves – the Mediterranean
  • Books: Di Nepi


• Converting and saving slaves – the Atlantic in Equiano’s experience


• Plantation society
  • Books: Klein, ch. 7 + Michel


• The life of slaves and violence
  • Books: Michel + Equiano


• Abolitionism
  • Books: Klein, ch. 8 + Michel


• Course conclusion