British International Abolitionism in the mid 19th Centuries: connections among the London quakers and Rio de Janeiro s press

• Grant number: 25/00761-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Alexandre Ferreira
• Grantee: Sofia Zambelli Menck
• Supervisor: Francisco Bethencourt
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais (FCHS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Franca. Franca , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: King's College London, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/17786-9 - The Society of Friends: quakerism and the condemnation of slavery in Rio de Janeiro s press, BP.MS

Abstract

The process of denouncing slavery in Brazil was marked by successive attempts from the British Empire and, in a broader scope of contestation, by the antislavery activity of the Society of Friends. More commonly known as the Quaker movement, the Society of Friends was a radical branch of Protestantism that contributed to the debate on the emancipation of African slaves since the first decades of the 18th century. During British abolitionism in the 19th century, Quakers once again sought to stand out in public and political debates. In 1839, a group composed mainly of members of the Society of Friends founded - aiming to address slavery in foreign countries - the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society (BFASS). BFASS's abolitionism was embedded in a context of constant parliamentary struggles over the legality of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery itself, its members addressed topics from economic issues to moral and Christian questions regarding the trade and the possession slaves. Aiming a deeper understanding of the spread of Quaker abolitionism throughout the world, this internship proposal intends to investigate four documents held in the British Library's physical collection - in particular, the newspaper Anti-Slavery Reporter, the book Narrative of a Recent Visit to Brazil (1853) and the Proceedings (1840-1843) of the World Abolitionist Congress. In addition to this, we seek to establish intellectual exchanges with scholars at King's College London and provide a valuable contribution to the analysis of Rio de Janeiro's press by examining the main motives, concerns and goals of Quaker abolitionists regarding Brazilian slavery during the 19th century.