ABSTRACT
Research that has been conducted on slave resistance has classified (female) slave behaviour into open or hidden acts of resistance. In the current study we argue that this classification is not sufficient and instead propose a broader categorisation of acts of resistance by female slaves in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean, including violent and non-violent acts of resistance as well as acts that can be relabelled as coping with trauma and loss. White colonial rulers perceived many acts of slaves as criminal and rebellious, while some of these acts show similarities with how – according to psychological theories – people respond to extremely stressful life experiences such as trauma, loss, captivity, and oppression. By reinterpreting these acts, we offer an alternative view on female slave behaviour and resistance. Last, we discuss the potential impact criminalisation of such acts of resistance could have on current viewpoints concerning women and crime in the Caribbean.
