This edited volume brings new perspectives on the topic maritime archaeology of the slave trade in the Caribbean. The book focuses on shipwrecks of the slave trade in the 18th century and suggests that there is a more complex and challenging social narrative than has previously been discussed. The authors examine biographies of ships, crew members, voyage logs, cargo inventories, trader correspondence and contextual analysis of the artifact assemblages to bring new insights into the microeconomics and maritime traditions of these floating prisons. The illustrious biography of Captain Edward Thache (aka Blackbeard) reveals past identities as a naval officer, slave trader, and pirate. Categories of artifacts in archaeological collections represent cultural connections and traditions of enslaved Africans. The volume includes several case studies that inform these narratives and examines slave ships such as la Concorde, Henrietta Marie, Whydah, La Marie Seraphique and Marquisde Bouillé.
Within the larger context of slave trade during the 18th century, authors explore legal and illegal trade in the British West Indies. These studies also address the plethora of social, political, and environmental impacts on these island communities that played an integral and strategic role in slave trade economics. This volume presents up-to-date research of professional maritime historians, artifact curators, and marine archaeologists drawing upon primary source documents, artwork, and material culture. The research collaborators reconstruct the international spheres of colonial North America, Europe, Africa, and West Indies. It is an interwoven narrative, both unique and typical, to the social and economic dynamics of 18th century Atlantic World.
Author Biography:
Dr. Lynn Harris (PhD University of South Carolina) has a background in nautical and terrestrial archaeology and maritime history. She teaches courses in underwater archaeology methods, maritime material culture, maritime landscapes, watercraft history, coastal cultural resource management, African and Caribbean maritime history, and archaeology. Most recently, Harris authored and edited two books, in addition to co-authoring articles published in International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Journal of Maritime Archaeology, and Coriolis: Interdisciplinary Journal of Maritime Studies. Harris currently serves as faculty in the Program in Maritime Studies, Atlantic World Program, and Integrated Coastal Sciences Doctoral Degree Program. She has served for several years as a member of the Advisory Council in Maritime Archaeology, chair of the North Carolina Maritime History Council and Co-Director of East Carolina University Coastal and Marine Studies InterdisciplinaryUndergraduate Program .
Dr. Valerie A. Johnson serves as Dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, & Humanities at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her research, conducted in Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, the Seychelles Islands and the United States, lectures, and publications center on gender, bioethics, disability, the health of women and girls, and environmental justice. In North Carolina, Dr. Johnson conducts research on both African American foodways and African American attitudes towards and experiences with “nature spaces.” Dr. Johnson chairs the NC African American Heritage Commission, serves on the NC Historical Commission, National Register Advisory Committee, the boards of the NC Maritime History Council and Preservation NC, is member of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, and is an advisor on the Humanities Action Lab’s initiative on climate change, immigration/migration and environmental justice. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D.in medical anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.A. in sociology from Atlanta University.
