Les femmes et la liquidation du système esclavagiste à la Martinique, 1848–1852

The period from 1848 to 1852 corresponds to an important moment in the history of Martinique and is remembered as such by its population. For three-quarters of the population, the transition from servitude to liberty and access to citizenship. This period, magnified in the popular consciousness, paradoxically is little known. The actors of this great page of social history, besides the figureheads, have been little studied in their collective approach. In this volume, the author depicts the Martinican women of this mid-nineteenth century as a heterogeneous social group. He tried to grasp them as the product of a historical evolution, that is to say, creating an unstable identity in perpetual evolution. What new equilibrium did Martinique women establish in the period of liquidation of the slave system? How can one explain that emancipation did not lead to a considerable advance in the status of women in Martinique, when women were very present on the decisive stages? How did the achievements of this period constitute points of support for later periods and for women? Is there not in the re-visit of these 4 years, a source of knowledge useful for the aspirations of women today?