Slave traders by invitation: West Africa's slave coast in the precolonial era

The small Slave Coast between the river Volta & Lagos, & its central part around Ouidah, was the epicentre of the slave trade in West Africa. But it was also an inhospitable, surf-ridden coastline, subject to crashing breakers & devoid of permanent human settlement. Nor was it easily acc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Fuglestad, Finn 1942- (Author)
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: New York, NY Oxford University Press 2019
Series:Oxford scholarship online
Subjects:
Online Access:DE-12
Volltext
Summary:The small Slave Coast between the river Volta & Lagos, & its central part around Ouidah, was the epicentre of the slave trade in West Africa. But it was also an inhospitable, surf-ridden coastline, subject to crashing breakers & devoid of permanent human settlement. Nor was it easily accessible from the interior due to a lagoon which ran parallel to the coast. The local inhabitants were not only sheltered against incursions from the sea, but were also locked off from it. Yet, paradoxically, this small coastline witnessed a thriving long-term commercial relationship between Europeans & Africans, based on the trans-Atlantic slave trade. How did it come about? How was it all organized?
Item Description:Previously issued in print: 2018. - Includes bibliographical references and index
Physical Description:1 Online-Ressource (461 Seiten) Illustrationen, Karten
ISBN:9780190943110
DOI:10.1093/oso/9780190876104.001.0001