Definition

When writing about the institution of slavery in the US, many advocates offer the term “enslaved person” to separate a person’s identity from their involuntary circumstance. Similarly, many argue that using “enslaver” rather than “owner” or “master” serves to disempower the enslaver and humanize the enslaved person. 

Eric Zorn in the Chicago Tribune explains the debate, which began in higher education. Some scholars argue that using “enslaved person” relates to the larger concept of “person-first” language. Others argue that the phrasing “wastes an opportunity to reinforce slavery’s inhumanity, to hammer home the brutishness of the perpetrators’ worldview by forcing readers to inhabit it.”

Additional resources

• Telling the Story: Enslavement of African People in the United States (Buffalo & Erie County Public Library)

Summary

When writing about the institution of slavery in the US, many advocates offer the term “enslaved person” to separate a person’s identity from their involuntary circumstance. Similarly, many argue that using “enslaver” rather than “owner” or “master” serves to disempower the enslaver and humanize the enslaved person. However, some scholars argue that phrasing such as “enslaved person” amounts to sugarcoating the brutal reality of slavery.

Related terms

• reparations 
• “post-racial”
• medical racism
• social determinants of health
• collective trauma
• person-first language