Sutlive Prize and Lecture

Through his work Pálsson uncovered the story of Hans Jonathan, born a slave in the Danish Caribbean, who, despite his failed attempt to legally undo his bondage in Copenhagen, was able to make his way to a life of freedom in Iceland in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The story of Hans Jonathan and his descendants brings readers familiar with the story of trans-Atlantic slavery into new ground, and simultaneously enlarges our sense of northern European histories of empire and race. In turn, Pálsson bridges his archival and genealogical detective work to a sustained meditation on contemporary debates regarding origins and the remembrance of the past, in Iceland and beyond. The result is a gripping micro-historical narrative that remains grounded in an anthropological commitment to the big picture. Combining painstaking documentary research with sophisticated reflection, The Man Who Stole Himself is a moving, timely, and inspiring exploration of slavery, freedom, kinship, and memory, and one that breaks new ground in anthropological writing.