This publication reflects the diversity of research on the slave trade, slavery and their legacies that has been undertaken over the last few decades in different parts of the world. It contributes to revealing to the world a human history that has been hidden by shame and guilt and by suppressed memories that nonetheless continue to affect social, cultural and political relationships in our contemporary societies. The issues addressed are of extreme importance in better understanding our modern world and many of our collective and individual behaviours. They offer readers a corpus of research-based knowledge and a pluralist perspective on the different systems of enslavement, the resistance and resilience of enslaved people, and the various contributions of the enslaved to the construction of societies. This publication is intended to be a substantial contribution to the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 2024) and to the global debate on the issues of cultural pluralism, racism and discrimination, the perpetration of historical injustices, and reparations and reconciliation.
