Histories and Material Manifestations of Slavery in the Upper Gambia River Region: Preliminary Results of the Bandafassi Regional Archaeological Project

Matthew V. Kroot, Cameron Gokee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Bandafassi Regional Archaeological Project (BRAP) explores a multiethnic landscape in the upper Gambia River region heavily impacted by slavery. The project assesses discourses of different stakeholders to see what is silenced, acknowledged, centered, and decentered in historical narratives. This article compares if and how slavery is invoked by narrators discussing the Atlantic era history of our study area, a region that today includes the UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape of Bassari Country. Narratives presented by local guides specializing in tours of specific, ethnic communities emphasize intercommunity or interethnic politics and militarism. Narratives used in applications for and recognition of World Heritage status focused on interethnic ecological complementarities. Archaeological evidence for changes in settlement patterns and defensive architecture highlight the local effects of Atlantic entanglements and slaving on the landscape. BRAP’s work complements other regional narratives by analyzing the politics of the historiography of Atlantic era West Africa.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)74-104
Number of pages31
JournalJournal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage
Volume7
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 4 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • archaeology
  • Atlantic era
  • historiography
  • landscape
  • Senegal
  • slavery
  • West Africa

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Anthropology
  • History
  • Archaeology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Histories and Material Manifestations of Slavery in the Upper Gambia River Region: Preliminary Results of the Bandafassi Regional Archaeological Project'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this