The Church, the Slave and the Liberation:Protestant Christian inspiration and gendered action repertoires in the nineteenth-century struggle against slavery

The intertwinement of gender and religion in the struggle against slavery,both in Europe and in the colonies is central to this contribution. Was therea gendered action repertoire in the abolitionist movement that appealed tothe protestant-Christian community? In the 19th century the deploymentof ‘humanist narratives’ promoted the identification of women withinthe protestant churches with enslaved women as mothers and caregivers.However, the abolitionist representation and its Christian iconographyof enslaved women, shows the simultaneous creation of hierarchy anddistinction, alongside reciprocity and equality. The meaning of the churchand religion in gendered forms of resistance or acceptance amongst enslavedpeople needs more attention