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African Historical Archaeologies pp 219–241Cite as

The African Diaspora Starts Here: Historical Archaeology of Coastal West Africa

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Part of the book series: Contributions to Global Historical Archaeology ((CGHA))

Abstract

Charleston, South Carolina; Kingston, Jamaica; Port au Prince, Haiti; Salvador, Brazil: all of these are cities in the Americas that share one overwhelmingly apparent factor. Any visitor to these communities will immediately be struck by the strength of the African contribution to their cultures. Indeed, the visibility of an African legacy in these settings has stimulated broader research into the African origins of various aspects of material culture in the African Diaspora, including, but not limited to, housing, ceramics, language, and foodways (Herskovits 1941). Researchers have rightly recognized the African contribution not as pure, undiluted “Africa” in each of these settings, but as a new cultural form, transformed (sensu Armstrong 1998) from the “original” African antecedent(s) through the process of adaptation, acceptance, and resistance to European derived cultural practices. They are not “neo Africas” but instead are each the unique product of a distinct set of historical influences.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, USA

    Kenneth G. Kelly

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  1. Kenneth G. Kelly
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK

    Andrew M. Reid

  2. The British Institute in Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

    Paul J. Lane

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Kelly, K.G. (2004). The African Diaspora Starts Here: Historical Archaeology of Coastal West Africa. In: Reid, A.M., Lane, P.J. (eds) African Historical Archaeologies. Contributions to Global Historical Archaeology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8863-8_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8863-8_8

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