ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of slavery, the slave trade, and representations of black Africans in early modern Spain. The widespread presence of enslaved and free black Africans in Spain, particularly southern Spain, was an important feature of early modern society. Afro-Spaniards acted as tradesmen, servants, musicians, and dancers, among other activities. This article highlights these activities while focusing on artistic and literary sources that portrayed Afro-Spaniards in a variety of contexts—as enslaved and holy, exceptional, and disparaged—as a way of discussing the complexity of the representations of Afro-Spaniards. Afro-Spaniards themselves acted as authors and artists, demonstrating their roles as fellow Christians and members of Spanish society. Their status as baptized Christians was a frequent theme in works that sought to promote the dignity of black Africans (or the dignity of a particular African). This chapter argues for the necessity of seeing the full range of creative possibilities for Afro-Iberians alongside the racist limitations imposed on them.
