Perder la libertad

Slavery is an issue that has its roots in ancient times. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, the Mediterranean became a theater of war in the conflict between Western Christianity, whose difensor fidei was the Spain of Philip II, and the Ottoman Empire, represented as the infidel and the great enemy. Within this scenario, slavery represents a true market in which men and women lose their identity, their freedom, becoming a true consumer good. Contemporary historiography and those of the last century have analyzed the discourse on slavery in the Mediterranean, staging the stages, evolutions and stories of this phenomenon. This contribution, in line with this international conference, aims to trace the various aspects of slavery in the Mediterranean between the 16th and 17th centuries. The proposed analysis will try to highlight how freedom was lost in the modern age and how it could be survived.