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Economic Impact on Slavery in Africa

A dialog from H-World list
October 1995

From: Richard H. Robbins (Robbinrh.splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu)
Date sent: 9-OCT-1995 10:18:06

Can anyone recommend a work that addresses the impact of slavery on the economic development of Africa? More specifically, did the loss of adult men and women to slavery significantly affect local economies by either depriving communities of workers, or significantly reducing demand for products?

Thanks!

Richard H. Robbins
Department of Anthropology
SUNY at Plattsburgh
. . .
Internet: Robbinrh@splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu
AOL: RHROBBINS@aol.com

Date: Mon, 9 Oct 1995 12:04:44 -0700
From: Jack Owens Idaho State University <owenjack@isu.edu>

. . .

On the early period of the Atlantic slave trade, I would recommend John Thornton, Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1680 (Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1992) not only because his own arguments are interesting but also because he does a good job of summarizing the state of the debate. In a recent number of Africa in History (vol. 19?), there was a debate over economic history and the slave trade that focused on Thornton's work.

I hope that this helps. Jack

In heartily concurring with Jack's recommendation, I might add a few more:

Law, Robin. The Slave Coast of West Africa, 1550-1750: The Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on an African Society

(Oxford, 1991).

Lovejoy, Paul E., Transformations in Slavery

(Cambridge, 1983). Also, see his article in the Journal of African History, "The Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on Africa: A Review of the Literature," 30: pp. 365-394 (1989).

Manning, Patrick, Slavery and African Life: Occidental, Oriental, and African Slave Trades

(Cambridge, 1990)

Fage, "Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Context of West African History"

[A] classic article in the 1969 issue of the JAH, 10: pp. 393-404. [It] still holds water today.

Bathily, Abdulaye, "La traité Atlantique des esclaves et ses effets économiques et sociaux en Afrique: la cas du Galam, royaume de l'hinterland sénégambien aux dix-huitieme siècle"

Journ. of African Hist. 27: pp. 269-293.

Boulegue, Jean. Les Anciens Royaumes Wolof

(Karthala, 1987)

Curtin, Philip.

You might do wel to check out the first chapters of Phil Curtin's Cross-cultural Trade in World History (Cambridge, 1994).

Happy Reading!

Dave Gutelius
The Johns Hopkins University

Date: Tue, 10 Oct 1995 10:17:28 -0700
From: Clay McShane <cmcshane@lynx.dac.neu.edu>

Try Pat Manning, Slavery and African Life Occidental, Oriental, and African Slave Trades (Cambridge: New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990) for a detailed look at the demographic and ultimately economic issues.

Clay McShane
Northeastern University