Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Muslim Uprising of 1835 in Bahia (Johns Hopkins Studies in Atlantic History and Culture)

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Summary: Outstanding review of the Bahian Yoruba-Muslim Revolt
Review: Joao Jose Reis is one of the foremost chroniclers of 19th century Bahian society, and this book is his (English-language) masterpiece. Starting with reports of quilombos, or autonomous African-inhabited communities in the deep countryside, and various riots and uprisings in urban Bahia, Reis details a history of resistance that led up to the 1835 rebellion. He is particularly successful at isolating the ethnic and religious motivations that drew together Muslim and non-Muslim Nagos (synonymous with the Yoruba) and allied ethnicities and inspired them to fight. He is also meticulous about recreating the political atmosphere of Bahia in the period--rife with rebellions, protests and runaways, the city was constantly under threat of revolution, and the "Male" revolt changed the course of slavery in Brazil by bringing Portuguese fears of African insurgency to the forefront. I disagree with the previous reviewer (who erroneously insists on referring to the book as a 'novel'); Reis gleans very specific information on insurgents like Licutan, a revered leader of the group, and Sanim (aka Luis), the trilingual rebel who was born in Nupe and also spoke Yoruba and Hausa, but not Portuguese, despite his long sojourn in Brazil. His adherence to these sources keep him from the kind of baseless speculation that a lesser historian would indulge in. He is also familiar enough with the historiography of the Yorubas in Nigeria and the republic of Benin to propose ideas on the effects of their culture and religion on the roots of the revolt. The book provides a blueprint for historians, anthropologists and other social scientists interested in the dynamics of revolt and resistance to slavery all over the Americas. It is unfortunate that there is not more information on the Africans deported to the Bight of Benin as a result of the rebellion--arguably a successful end to their miniature war in Brazil. This book is definitely worth the purchase.

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Summary: Overall a well-written novel, but has some short-comings.
Review: Slave Rebellion in Brazil, by João José Luis, is a thorough view of the Malê Rebellion of 1835, ranging from the economic situation to the face-to face relations between particular individuals. Reis states that this rebellion was the most effective rebellion to occur on the American continent, which had nationwide repercussions. One of his main topics is that the police and court scribes wrote during the trials that followed the rebellion are a vivid window into the various aspects of the rebels' "cultural, social, economic, religious, domestic, and intimate lives" (xiii). Perhaps the most unique conception that Reis incorporates into his account is his distinctive observation of the role played by Islam in the rebellion.

The content of the novel, based primarily on historical police and court documents, is evidence in itself of the information that these reports hold regarding the numerous components of the rebels' lives. Reis documents a number of specific details that originate from these very files in order to describe both the rebels' state of affairs as well as the rebellion itself. Many of the facts included in this novel spawn from these documents, which provide a multi-faceted picture of the lives of the Bahians. These facts help the reader to better understand the milieu that instigated the rebellion. Reis's methodology is a steady and logical progression for the duration of the novel, showing the discontent among the rebels, then proceeding to describe the rebellion itself, and finally concluding with vivid accounts of the punishment that was executed.

Regarding the effectiveness of the rebellion and its effect on the nation, Reis uses strategic methodology only to fail in his findings concerning the success of the rebellion. His methodology is much like what was mentioned above, regarding the use of the police and court documents. Reis begins his novel by describing the society and the economy of the slaves at the time of the rebellion. He describes the counterfeiting, the unemployment, and the dire poverty that wreaked havoc over Bahia. The discontent throughout the region becomes apparent. Reis then goes on, recounting the details of the actual revolution itself. He concludes with the fourth part of his novel, which he entitles, "The Anti-African Backlash." Within these chapters, he portrays the punishment that was rendered upon the rebels. Freed slaves were deported to Africa, while those that remained enslaved were subjected to a newly born ruthless system of slavery. At this point in the novel, Reis illustrates that the rebellion did have effects on the nation. He states in one brief paragraph that Rio de Janeiro also employed strict new laws that permitted house searches, restricted freedom of speech, enforced deportation, and outlawed gatherings. Many of these newly formed laws were applied nation-wide. In other words, the rebellion was not effective at all when taking into account the outcome; however, the affect on the nation as a whole was apparent.

With all facts considered, the rebellion of 1835 was primarily composed of Malês; however, contrary to popular belief, it was not an Islamic uprising. Reis concentrates on the issue of religion in the second part of his novel, entitled "Muslims and the Rebellion of 1835." As Reis states, authors believe that this rebellion was a jihad, or holy war; however, Reis argues otherwise. He shows that Malês and non-Malês participated in the rebellions. Taking this into account, "the notion that the 1835 revolt was a 'holy war' against all non-Muslims cannot be maintained" (126-7). The methodology he uses in order to illustrate his point is to first show the various contributions that Islam played to the rebellion, and then to prove that it was not an actual jihad by using the evidence above. Although the rebellion was not a jihad, it still retained a religious side. He acknowledges the widely used amulets, rings, and other Islamic paraphernalia, which provided the people with the courage needed to rebel. The Islamic religious leaders were a unifying factor that allowed the people to come together to plan an organized rebellion.

In my opinion, Reis effectively constructed the novel as a whole. He employed a functional progression throughout his novel. He began with the development of economic, societal, and religious profiles of the soon-to-be rebels, which "put the 1835 rebellion - its tactics, objectives, and limitations - in perspective" (22). He methodically proceeds to describe the actual rebellion itself and then explain the punishment that the rebels' faced, thus concluding the novel. He spends a sufficient amount of time on each factor, which leads to an understanding of the rebellion, including its causes and outcomes.

Regarding Reis' main arguments, I agree with the use of the police and court documents; however, only to a certain extent. He uses the documents and applies them to the rebel population as a whole. I believe that this method may be flawed, because in many instances, these documents only consist of a small sample of people, which Reis applies to the entire population. I believe that his extension of these incidents may be unfounded.

Taking into consideration the effectiveness of the rebellion and its affect on the nation, the rebellion was not effective with regards to the outcome. The whole incident proved to be more detrimental than beneficial. None of the woes of the slaves were overturned; in actuality, life became more miserable for everyone that was involved, or even suspected of being involved. As for the affect of the rebellion on the nation, I cannot dispute the facts regarding the laws that were enacted in Rio de Janeiro that applied to the entire nation.

I completely agree with Reis' argument pertaining to the Malê rebellion not being a jihad, for the aim of the rebellion was not to impose an Islamic government. Thus, I believe that this novel was fairly decent in its description of the rebellion. Although it contains some shortcomings, I believe that Reis' foci were presented well and his description and methods allowed for the complete history of the rebellion to emerge.