Paternalist Punishment

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the punitive relationships among slaves, slaveholders and colonial authorities from the perspective of paternalism. Focusing on the territory of the colonial Audiencia de Quito and the Republic of Ecuador between the early eighteenth century and the abolition of slavery in 1851, the chapter proceeds in three directions. The first section addresses the interactions between the State and the slaveholders through the lens of “protection.” The second section turns to paternalism as a repertoire of both legitimation and contestation of punishment. The final section assesses the continuities and discontinuities in the impact of paternalism on the punishments of slaves across time, both during and beyond the colonial period.