Adriane Sanctis de Brito, seeking capture, resisting seizure : an international legal history of the Anglo-Brazilian treaty for the suppression of the slave trade (1826-1845)

Abstract

In this brief review, I provide an overview of the book's structure and main arguments: that the history of abolition is not as clear-cut as Western and mainstream legal historians make it seem and that international law was used as a strategic tool by formerly colonised states assert and maintain their independence. I particularly focus on the second argument' place in the broader contention between different critical approaches to law over law's emancipatory potential. Despite what ends up being a superficial engagement with these theories, I argue the book is a great addition to the legal history scholarship.