James Walvin is Emeritus Hoogleraar Geschiedenis, na vele jaren les te hebben gegeven aan de Universiteit van York. Zijn uitgebreide publicaties richten zich op de geschiedenis van slavernij en de slavenhandel, waarvoor hij de prestigieuze Martin Luther King Memorial Prize ontving. Hij heeft ook de geschiedenis van het voetbal onderzocht, met een baanbrekend boek dat meer dan dertig jaar na de oorspronkelijke publicatie nog steeds in druk is. Walvins werken worden gewaardeerd om hun diepe historische inzichten en zorgvuldig onderzoek.
'Long before the friends of African freedom began to agitate for black freedom, the enslaved themselves had created their own strategies of resistance. In time, their defiance was to prove the crucial final factor in bringing down slavery itself.' James Walvin, in Resistance, Rebellion and Revolt
This comprehensive study examines how slavery and enslaved people have shaped the modern world. It argues that a full understanding of slavery requires moving beyond traditional national histories, collecting recent scholarship into a cohesive narrative. The author presents a global story that encompasses the capitalist economy, labor, environment, and social culture, including ideas of family, beauty, and taste. The book emphasizes the profound role of slavery in the formation of the modern world, highlighting the enforced transportation and labor of millions of Africans as a significant social and economic force. This catalyzed the rapid development of extensive trading systems with far-reaching global consequences. The labor and products of enslaved individuals transformed consumption patterns across continents, influencing societies in India, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Slavery's impact shaped many dominant features of Western culture, including luxury items that may seem disconnected from its brutal reality. The narrative traces the enduring global effects of slavery over centuries, extending beyond legal or historical milestones, and asserts that the world created by slave labor continues to resonate today.