Finessing the Empire

Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan, vol. 63, pp. 111–134

Abstract

By the early twentieth century the British Empire had placed itself at the centre of the worldwide movement to abolish slavery and the slave trade. Despite that, the persistence of slavery in the Persian Gulf led to the curious circumstance that the British had not quite removed slavery from what was effectively part of their informal Empire. Instead, the British had decided to issue slave manumission certificates – although in a highly selective way. Why then did the British choose that solution instead of simply abolishing slavery completely or even issuing certificates to entire populations of enslaved people where necessary? Additionally, how were such certificates issued in practice? In tackling those questions this article reveals a largely ignored aspect of the history of the British Empire in the Gulf region. What this article reveals is that the British found themselves in something of a dilemma. They wished to maintain their position and reputation as the global leaders of the abolition of slavery and the slave trade while retaining their fundamentally important role in the Persian Gulf as patrons to local chiefs, through whom they could maintain their informal empire in the region. The decision to adopt the device of issuing manumission certificates was therefore intended to enable the British to retain the influence afforded by both aspects of their position. The certificates could be presented as clear evidence of Britain’s endeavour in working for abolition, while simultaneously helping ensure that her informal empire in the region would not collapse. To reconcile those two facets of their Empire the British were therefore forced to work delicately to manage the expectations and requirements of various stakeholders.

Authors 1

1. Hideaki SUZUKI corresponding Aachen Department of Globalization and Humanity

   National Museum of Ethnology · National Museum of Ethnology · Museu Nacional de Etnologia

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Globalization and Humanity, National Museum of Ethnology