African Voices on Slavery and the Slave Trade: Volume 1, The Sources

To cast light on African perspectives of the history of slavery, top Africanist scholars have examined both conventional historical sources and less-explored sources of information. African Voices on Slavery and the Slave Trade is the first of two volumes providing a trove of African sources for studying African slavery and slave trade.

Though the history of slavery is a central topic for African, Atlantic world and world history, most of the sources presenting research in this area are European in origin. To cast light on African perspectives, and on the point of view of enslaved men and women, this group of top Africanist scholars has examined both conventional historical sources (such as European travel accounts, colonial documents, court cases, and missionary records) and less-explored sources of information (such as folklore, oral traditions, songs and proverbs, life histories collected by missionaries and colonial officials, correspondence in Arabic, and consular and admiralty interviews with runaway slaves). Each source has a short introduction highlighting its significance and orienting the reader. This first of two volumes provides students and scholars with a trove of African sources for studying African slavery and the slave trade.