The Peculiar InstitutionNew Trends and Controversies in Researching and Teaching Slavery
By Paul Ruffins

Because of its richness and controversy, the study of slavery has captured the interest and imagination of many different theorists. In turn, these researchers have discovered new documents and reinterpreted older sources of data. Because these scholars' sources and conclusions are themselves being subjected to new technologies and research, the study of slavery is entering an accelerated cycle that is yielding even more data to be analyzed in order to produce new theories.

Coming to Grips with  Slavery
"There hasn't been this much interest in slavery since 1865," says University of Maryland history professor Dr. Ira Berlin, describing a recent upsurge in interests that has made the study of slavery a growth industry on campus and a hot topic in overall American society. "Today, colleges and universities are offering courses on the history and sometimes even the literature of slavery," says Berlin. "Just a few years ago, slavery was seldom examined by itself but incorporated into courses on Southern history, or African American history. Now it's emerging as an important question all by itself."
Exploring the question of how slavery is being taught in so many different venues raises another question: Why has the issue of slavery become so popular?
"Because as a topic, slavery contains all the elements that make for drama and excitement," says Dr. Loren Schweninger, professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. "It involves murder, love, sex and violence, as well as heroes and villains, rescues and revenge."
In addition, Berlin says compared to 20 years ago, "slavery is more likely to be linked to an understanding of developments in world events, and … scholars and lay people are realizing that coming to grips with slavery is critical to understanding the great question of the 20th century because slavery is inescapably linked to racism."