دانشگاه اصفهان پژوهش های تاریخی 2008-6253 18 1 2026 03 21 A Comparative Study of the African Slave Trade in the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic within the Context of Britain’s Colonial Policy (18th-20th Centuries) مطالعۀ تطبیقی تجارت بردۀ آفریقایی در خلیج‌فارس و آتلانتیک در بستر سیاست‌های استعماری بریتانیا (سدۀ 18-20م) 79 100 30352 10.22108/jhr.2026.147708.2884 FA جمشید نوروزی دانشیار گروه تاریخ، دانشکده ادبیات، دانشگاه الزهرا، تهران، ایران معصومه حنیفه پژوهشگر پسادکتری، گروه تاریخ، دانشکده ادبیات، دانشگاه الزهرا، تهران، ایران. Journal Article 2025 12 10 Abstract The Persian Gulf and the Atlantic played significant roles in the global system of slavery during the 18th to the 20th centuries, with merchants in both regions engaged in the slave trade from East and West Africa. However, the slave trade in these regions exhibited fundamental differences in economic, political-military, and geographical contexts, leading to the formation of distinct patterns in the structure and functioning of this trade. Britain was a decisive actor in the slave trade of both regions. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine Britain’s approach to the slave trade in these regions, seeking to analyze and compare the models of trading, pricing, living conditions and rights of slaves, routes, and Britain’s approach in both areas. The main question is: How did the differences between the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic lead to Britain’s differentiated approach to controlling the slave trade in Africa? Using the historical method and an analytical-comparative approach, this study examines historical data and evidence through written sources and official documents. Britain’s policy in both regions was shaped by its colonial interests, economic-military objectives, and the political-economic characteristics of each region. In the Atlantic, Britain’s direct presence stemmed from economic competition with other European powers and the demand for labor, whereas in the Persian Gulf and the Indian subcontinent, Britain’s strategic and political-military motives led it toward an intermediary and controlling role. Differences in the political-economic and geopolitical structures of the two regions resulted in significant variation in Britain’s mode of intervention, policymaking, and conduct regarding the slave trade. Keywords: Atlantic, Africa, Britain, Slave Trade, Persian Gulf. Introduction The African Slave Trade began in very early times and continued until the mid-20th century. Despite anti-slavery activities during the 19th and 20th centuries, slave traders continued this trade through smuggling and illegal sales. African slaves were captured from regions in East, West, and Southern Africa. The African slave trade can generally be examined along two routes: 1) the Atlantic route, involving the transfer of West African slaves to markets in the Caribbean and the Americas; and 2) the Persian Gulf and Red Sea route, involving the transfer of East African slaves toward the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian subcontinent. The African slave trade in these regions is among the significant subjects within the field of slave trade studies. This research, aiming to provide a comparative analysis of the African slave trade in these two regions and to examine trade routes, the conditions of enslaved individuals, as well as Britain’s approach—as one of the major actors in the global slave trade—seeks to investigate the points of convergence and divergence and the distinct British policies in the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic, which constituted the primary destinations of African slaves. Although numerous studies have been conducted by international scholars on this topic, they have predominantly focused on the West African slave trade within the Atlantic world, while Eastern slaves and their trade in the Persian Gulf have received comparatively little scholarly attention. Moreover, Persian researchers have also scarcely addressed this subject, which has resulted in a limited scholarly background. Materials and Methods The present study employs the historical method and an analytical-comparative approach to examine the points of divergence and convergence in the African slave trade across the Persian Gulf and the Atlantic. Conducted in two principal stages—data collection, followed by their evaluation and comparative analysis—the research draws upon British reports and those of its affiliated companies, non-Persian primary sources on the slave trade, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century British studies, through which the core data pertaining to this phenomenon were extracted. Subsequently, with the aim of identifying similarities and differences in the slave trade across the eastern and western regions of Africa, and of assessing Britain’s role in this commerce, a comparative study of slavery in Africa within the broader context of British colonial policies was undertaken. The existing sources in this field are predominantly in English, and Persian primary sources and documents do not provide comprehensive or systematically classified data on the African slave trade in the Persian Gulf and Atlantic, nor on its eastern and western routes. For this reason, in examining the slave trade of East and West Africa, non-Persian documents and reports—such as British governmental records and those of the East India Company—along with primary sources, nineteenth- and twentieth-century British studies, and related notes, constitute the most essential and indispensable materials available. Research Findings West African slaves were transported via the Atlantic Ocean to various parts of the Americas, where they were employed in different sectors, often with a productive purpose. The Atlantic slave trade initially began in southeastern Africa (Mozambique and Madagascar); however, the remoteness of this region from the northern parts of the continent and major shipping routes, along with its hazards, hindered the expansion of the southeastern trade, and the capture of slaves for the Atlantic trade flourished from West and Central Africa. East African slaves were brought into the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent, and the Red Sea regions, where they were sold. Generally, slaves residing on the coasts of the Persian Gulf were divided into two groups: transit slaves and those born there. Three main routes were used in the trade of African slaves to the Persian Gulf: (1) from Africa to Musandam, (2) from Africa to Ras al-Hadd and Sur, and (3) from Africa to Socotra and Al-Mukalla. Britain and its agents—from the East India Company to the Royal African Company and the South Sea Company—played a major and decisive role in both the Atlantic and Persian Gulf regions and their surrounding areas. Nevertheless, the British government’s approach and operational methods differed and produced varied outcomes. In the Atlantic region and the trade of West African slaves, Britain exercised direct control over slavery; this trade formed a fundamental pillar of Britain’s economy and a primary instrument of influence in its colonies. In contrast, in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean regions, although Britain possessed influence and dominance, the central role in the slave trade was held by local brokers and merchants, and the trade was conducted through them. Discussion of Results and Conclusions In the Persian Gulf region, Britain primarily sought mediation and the acquisition of favorable positions and high political-military influence; for this reason, British intervention in the Persian Gulf slave system and the Atlantic slave trade had fundamental differences. These differences were also evident in the efforts to abolish slavery. In the Atlantic trade, Britain used military force and strict laws extensively, taking direct control over the trade and smuggling of slaves. In the Persian Gulf, however, it pursued a policy of conciliation with local sheikhs and rulers, engaging central governments such as the Qajar state and signing multiple treaties regarding the prohibition of slavery, thereby reducing its military expenditures in the Persian Gulf compared to the Atlantic and American colonies while expanding its influence in the region. Overall, a comparison of the East and West African slave trades in the Persian Gulf and Atlantic regions indicates that Britain’s approach to the slave trade—and ultimately to its suppression—was guided more by its objectives and regional interests than by humanitarian concerns. In the Atlantic world, economic interests were paramount, and the campaign against slavery functioned largely as a tool to counter the expansion of other European powers in West Africa, to protect vital natural resources and gold mines, and to control the wealth of the continent. In the Persian Gulf, Britain’s priorities were primarily strategic and political; based on these political-military objectives and its relations with local rulers, Britain assumed an intermediary and mediating role in the regional slave trade. منطقۀ خلیج‌فارس و آتلانتیک، در سده‌های 18-20م، نقش مهمی در نظام جهانی برده‌داری داشته و بازرگانان آن به تجارت بردگان شرق و غرب آفریقا می‌پرداختند؛ اما تجارت برده در این دو ناحیه با تفاوت‌های اساسی درزمینه‌های اقتصادی، سیاسی-نظامی، و جغرافیایی روبه‌رو بوده که موجب شکل‌گیری الگوهای متمایزی در ساختار و کارکرد این تجارت شد. بریتانیا از عوامل تعیین‌کننده در تجارت برده در خلیج‌فارس و آتلانتیک بوده و ازاین‌رو، پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی رویکرد بریتانیا در تجارت برده در این دو ناحیه انجام گرفته و به‌دنبال بررسی و مقایسۀ شیوه‌های تجارت برده، قیمت‌گذاری، وضعیت زندگی و حقوق بردگان، مسیرهای تجاری و رویکرد بریتانیا در دو منطقه بوده ‌است. پرسش اصلی بر این پایه استوار است: «تفاوت در ساختارهای اقتصادی و منطقه‌ای خلیج‌فارس و آتلانتیک، چگونه موجب تمایز رویکرد بریتانیا در کنترل تجارت برده در آفریقا شد؟» این پژوهش با استفاده از روش تاریخی و رویکرد تحلیلی-تطبیقی، به بررسی داده‌ها و شواهد تاریخی، از خلال منابع مکتوب و اسناد رسمی می‌پردازد. یافته‌ها نشان‌دهندۀ آن است که سیاست بریتانیا در هر دو منطقه بر پایۀ منافع استعماری و اهداف اقتصادی-نظامی و ویژگی‌های سیاسی-اقتصادی منطقه شکل گرفت. در آتلانتیک، حضور مستقیم بریتانیا ناشی از رقابت اقتصادی با دیگر قدرت‌های اروپایی و نیاز به نیروی کار بود؛ درحالی‌که در خلیج‌فارس و شبه‌قارۀ هند، انگیزه‌های راهبردی و سیاسی-نظامی بریتانیا، این حکومت را به ایفای نقش واسطه‌ای و کنترل‌گر سوق داد. تفاوت ساختارهای سیاسی-اقتصادی و ژئوپلیتیکی دو منطقه، موجب تفاوت معنادار در شیوۀ مداخله و سیاست‌گذاری و عملکرد بریتانیا در قبال تجارت برده شد.

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