Description
Book SynopsisGrand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia and Princess Isabel of Brazil were active participants in the struggle to end servile labor in their respective countries. They acted in defiance of political conventions which excluded women from any political activity. Both women were determined to do all in their power to further the cause of emancipation and to determine the terms under which serfs and slaves were emancipated. This book examines the political activities of the two royal women within the context of their respective societies and adopts a comparative approach.
Trade Review‘It is a highly original, ingenious and subtle analysis of the emancipation of serfs/slaves in Russia and Brazil, looked at through the optic of two royal princesses, Elena and Isabel. It explores the largely unappreciated role played by these two women in bringing about the end of servile labour, a role exercised through personal influence and outside the male realm of politics. The study is deeply researched, and the author’s command of Russian, Portuguese and French sources is impressive’— Professor Steve Smith, All Souls College, University of Oxford, UK.
‘A fascinating and original comparison, packed with detail about the lives of two influential royal women, and properly insistent on the importance of politics in the process of peasant emancipation’— Simon Dixon, Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History, UCL; General Editor, Slavonic and East European Review.
‘It is a well-crafted work – nicely balanced, using specific evidence to move towards a more general explanation of emancipation – AND the role of two remarkable women in the process’— Professor James Walvin, Department of History, University of York, UK.
Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction; 1. Empires of Servility; 2. Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and the Emancipation of the Serfs; 3. Princess Isabel and the Abolition of Slavery; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index
