Description
Book SynopsisAnalysing portrayals of African Americans and Russian serfs in paintings, adverts, fiction, poetry, and ephemera housed in American and Russian archives, Amanda Brickell Bellows argues that these depictions shaped collective memory of slavery and serfdom, affected the development of national consciousness, and influenced public opinion.
Trade ReviewGiven that Russian serfdom and US chattel slavery were very different . . . [Bellows] does not compare the two labor systems, but rather compares how freed Russian serfs and freed African Americans were perceived and represented in the two countries. She examines literature, paintings and illustrations, advertising, and popular periodicals in both countries to uncover and evaluate the contexts in which those cultural productions emerged and the messages they contained.--CHOICE
‘[A] strength of the book is the author’s depth of knowledge based on extensive research in both countries. This is no small achievement, as anyone who has attempted comparative or transnational research can testify.’ – Russian Review
'A new and welcome contribution to the growing field of Russo-American comparative history … [and] a great example of thought-provoking and engaging comparative history.’ – H-Net Russia
