For your book review, please answer the following questions:
ï·Redikerâs thesis is related to the âviolence of abstraction.â What does he mean by this term? According to Rediker, how have historians used theâ violence of abstractionâ in their accounts of slavery? How does he counter the âviolence of abstraction?â (hint: pg. 12) What is his thesis?
ï·Although Redikerâs book is titled The Slave Ship, his scholarship is actually about the people involved with the slave ship. What are the four âhuman dramasâ he describes and who are the actors? I am not looking for specific people, but rather the âroleâ they fulfill.
ï·Elaborate briefly on these four dramas- be sure to include the actors and how they related to one another.
ï·Who are âthe greedy robbersâ in the slave ship drama? Briefly describe the role of âthe greedy robbersâ in Redikerâs narrative.
ï·Rediker states âI offer this study with the greatest of reverence for those who suffered almost unthinkable violence, terror, and death, in the firm belief that we must remember that such horrors have always been, and remain, central to the making of global capitalismâ (13). Does this personal statement about his motives help or hinder his scholarship? Why or why not?
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