Review
"Presents a history of slaves, freedmen, and indentured laborers in colonial Mauritius, exploring the role these populations played in shaping the Mauritian experience." Journal of Economic Literature

"This is an excellent book and a genuine contribution to the history of slavery, sugar, and the European tropical economies." International Journal of African Historical Studies

"It is an important book, and one that deserves wide readership by all those engaged in the study and research of plantation economies and the nature and impact of labor migration within the British Empire. Clare Anderson, Historian

"meticulous study of labor, capital and social relations, ...Admirably interdisciplinary in scope...Allen has established an irrevocable milestone for the study of colonial economic and plantation societies" Amer His Rev


Book Description
This social and economic history of the island of Mauritius, from French colonization in 1721 to the beginnings of modern political life in the mid-1930s, emphasizes the importance of domestic capital formation, particularly in the sugar industry. Describing changing relationships among different elements in the society, slave, free and maroon, and East Indian indentured populations, it shows how these were conditioned by demographic changes, world markets, and local institutions. It brings the Mauritian case to the attention of scholars engaged in the comparative study of slavery and plantation systems.

FROM THE PUBLISHER