Luiz Gama V. Slavery: A Black Lawyer Fighting for Freedom and Justice in Nineteenth-Century Brazil

By Bruno Rodrigues de Lima

Imagine a Black lawyer, once enslaved, standing in a 19th-century Brazilian courtroom and defeating slaveholders with their own laws. Luiz Gama v. Slavery tells the extraordinary story of Luiz Gama, a fearless abolitionist who used the legal system to free hundreds of enslaved people and redefine justice in a slaveholding society. Drawing on hundreds of rare court records, petitions, and long-forgotten legal writings, this volume highlights Gama's legal genius and political courage.

The award-winning research behind this volume offers more than a biography--this work provides a new history of law, race, and freedom in Brazil. It traces Gama's odyssey from bondage to liberation, and his transformation of the courtroom into a battlefield for emancipation.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9004749780
• ISBN13: 9789004749788
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Brill Nijhoff
• Length: 468 Pages