The act of making someone a slave or the state of being enslaved and forced to work without freedom.
From 'enslave' (prefix 'en-' plus 'slave'), which entered English around the 1600s. 'Slave' itself likely comes from Slavic peoples who were frequently enslaved in medieval Europe.
The etymology of 'slave' reflects a dark historical reality: entire ethnic groups became so associated with slavery that their name became the word for 'enslaved person' across European languages.
Enslavement erased women's specific experiences: enslaved women faced racial + sexual violence, forced reproduction, and motherhood under bondage. Historical records often subsumed these under male narratives.
Acknowledge gendered dimensions when discussing enslavement systems. 'Enslaved women faced both labor and sexual coercion' centers their distinct trauma and resistance.
Women scholars (Angela Davis, Daina Ramsey Berry, Stephanie Smallwood) recovered enslaved women's agency, resistance, and motherhood under bondage as central to abolition history.
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