https://iowcwp.mcgill.ca/ The Indian Ocean World Centre Working Paper Series explores the past and contemporary history, geography, economy, environment and politics of the Indian Ocean World. McGill University en-US Indian Ocean World Centre Working Paper Series 2371-5111 <p>The IOWCWP does not hold the copyright permissions for our Working Paper series. Copyright is vested in the author of a working paper. A paper may only be cited, quoted or distributed with the author's permission.</p><p> </p><p> </p> https://iowcwp.mcgill.ca/article/view/34 <p class="p1">Madagascar and the Mascarenes from the 17<span class="s1">th </span>to 19<span class="s1">th </span>century were ethnically diverse societies shaped by economic structures of enslavement. Enslaved women subjected to colonial oppression and sexual violence – that was made to commodify all labour, including reproductive – existed in a complex space of reproductive vulnerability and power. This paper proposes that, when chosen, abortion and infanticide functioned as acts of resistance and agency, reclaiming reproductive autonomy and choice within a system designed to strip all freedoms. While widely acknowledged in Atlantic world scholarship, these practices are relatively understudied in the Indian Ocean World, particularly in Madagascar and the Mascarenes. Examining colonial records, oral histories, and botanical knowledge uncovers potential motivations and methods of infanticide and abortion, revealing cross-cultural information exchange and positioning enslaved people as knowledge carriers involved in a transnational network. The persistence of botanical abortifacients and reproductive traditions across Madagascar, South Asia, and mainland Africa underscores an enduring legacy of resistance. This narrative of sexual and reproductive dynamics found within the confines of enslavement and oppression illustrates the complexity of agency and unfreedom seen through acts of resistance.</p> Sofia O'Reilly Copyright (c) 2025 Sofia O'Reilly http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 2025-03-06 2025-03-06 21