1 . PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
Taking the mapping created in the USA and its methodology as a point of reference , new criteria had to established for the Spanish case , which took the following considerations into account :
1 . Mapping for Spain ? Despite the fact that the territories that make up the current Spanish State have also had a slavery-related dimension internally in modern times , this reality bore a greater impact and was more deeply entrenched abroad .[ 1 ] Spain was both an emissive and consuming power , mainly in its colonies , which received a large volume of enslaved people . Between the 16th and the 19th centuries , the American Atlantic area absorbed millions of human beings originating from Africa ( and Europe ), who had to be integrated into the respective colonial societies and their subsequent national plans . The sociodemographic development of both continents – Europe and America – has undoubtedly differed , since there are no significant communities of African descent in Spain linked to the Atlantic ’ s slavery processes in modern and contemporary times . Although most of the victims and descendants of these crimes do not live or have not lived in Spain , it does not exclude or lessen Spain ’ s accountability as a power , but does render its mapping and subsequent analysis more complex . The phenomenon ’ s triangulation and the diversity of agents involved [ 2 ] forces us to adopt a transnational approach and a dialogue with the processes of national and racial emancipation that took place in former colonies that are now sovereign countries , which have also had to manage the repercussions of these processes alone . This constitutes the first major difference with the American case study as regards the slave trade and consumption , which we separate from the colonial dimension since it does not always coincide or correlate .
[ 1 ] Without a doubt , slavery existed in the peninsula , legal until 1837 , although in steady decline since the 17th century . Spain was home to a considerable slave population ( African , Moorish , etc .), but neither the volume of these flows ever reached the magnitude of the traffic to America nor have these communities lasted to the present day , constituting a political matter . [ 2 ] The banner under which the slave trade was practised and the slaves ’ final destination generally involved several countries at the same time .
T R A N S - A T L A N T I C R A C I A L R E D R E S S N E T W O R K : S P A N I S H C A S E
FINAL FINDINGS REPORT