This book sheds new light on the complex and multifaceted historical experiences of Afro-Brazilians in their struggles to become free and define freedom. Drawing on an international team of scholars based in Brazil, Europe, and United States, this study illuminates the international and trans-Atlantic dimensions of abolition. The book situates the process of emancipation in terms of gender, family, slave labor, social movements, urban and rural life, and journalism and, it underscores the political nature of the enslaved’s struggles for freedom, including their salient roles in setting anew the debates over their place in post-emancipation society. According to the co-editors, Becoming Free brings forth new research on Brazilian abolition, and fosters further reflection on the gains achieved, as well as, the challenges that persist for overcoming the national legacy of slavery.