Abstract

Mélanie Lamotte’s paper shows how an increasingly cohesive legal culture came to govern the lives of enslaved and free people of African, Malagasy, South Asian, and Native American descent in the early French Empire. The talk will highlight the important role played by these populations in the making and unmaking of the French empire, from Louisiana to Guadeloupe, Senegambia, Madagascar, Isle Bourbon, and India. Through their sexuality and their labor, along with their socio-economic and political endeavors, they played a critical role in building the empire and setting its limits. As they sought justice for themselves, strove to protect their kin, and aimed to improve their social conditions, these individuals also pushed against the advancement of white dominion in unexpected ways.