Slavery in the Great Lakes Region of East Africa is a collection of ten studies by the most prominent historians of the region. Slavery was more important in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa than often has been assumed, and Africans from the interior played a more complex role than was previously recognized.

"Slavery in the Great Lakes Region of East Africa" looks at the perceptions of one of the main themes of African history: slavery. There was no single form of slavery, and the line between enslaved and nonslave labor was fine. This book challenges the assertion that domestic slavery increased in Africa as the result of the international trade.