Orlando Patterson is John Cowles Professor of Sociology at Harvard University. He is the author of numerous books including Slavery and Social Death (1982) and Freedom in the Making of Western Culture (1991), which won the 1991 National Book Award for Non-Fiction. His most recent publications include The Cultural Matrix: Understanding Black Youth and The Paradox of Freedom: A Biographical Dialogue (co-authored with David Scott).
“Orlando Patterson is one of the most important intellectuals of the last half century, and in his newest work, Enslavement, he gives us new ways of understanding the reach and depth of human bondage across time and space and from a breathtaking range of perspectives. It is a tour de force in a single volume and another outstanding contribution from a truly original mind.” Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University “Ranging in scope from modern-day servitude and human trafficking to the very origins and definition of slavery in antiquity, these collected essays are a vital accompaniment to Orlando Patterson’s unrivalled body of work on a topic of sadly enduring relevance.” David Wengrow, University College London