The Silent Missionary and the Submissive Slave: Bibles Printed and Circulated in the Caribbean, 1804–1904

The research project is an in-depth study of the so-called “Slave Bible” – a nineteenth century version of the Bible that was adjusted to slaves and indigenous people in the West Indies by erasing all contents which identified human beings as equals. Even though its display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC has generated much attention in the past years, no credible research has been undertaken on this biblical artefact. This project investigates the historical production, dissemination, and cultural impact of the Slave Bible and how it was used as a cultural and religious artefact to impose British colonialism and nationalism in the colonies and slave plantations. By examining new archival resources from a theoretical framework that combines Bible Studies, Religious Studies and Book History with Postcolonial Studies, the project provides new historical insights into the social and political functions of religious scriptures and especially how the Slave Bible as a material artefact was used to achieve colonial and racial submission. In this way the project will be very helpful in understanding the colonial past and its influence in the present.