West African narratives of slavery
Book • 2011
In 'West African Narratives of Slavery,' Sandra E. Greene compiles and analyzes firsthand accounts, oral histories, and biographical materials that illuminate the lived experience of enslaved people and their descendants in West Africa.
The book foregrounds personal testimonies to reconstruct social histories often absent from official archives and to highlight resilience, memory, and identity formation among formerly enslaved communities.
Greene situates these narratives within broader historical processes like regional trade, warfare, and missionary influence, offering insight into continuities and changes in social status and community relations.
By centering voices of the enslaved, the work challenges dominant narratives and complements studies that focus on slaveowners and colonial actors.
The book has been used to deepen understanding of the human dimensions of West African slavery and its legacies.
The book foregrounds personal testimonies to reconstruct social histories often absent from official archives and to highlight resilience, memory, and identity formation among formerly enslaved communities.
Greene situates these narratives within broader historical processes like regional trade, warfare, and missionary influence, offering insight into continuities and changes in social status and community relations.
By centering voices of the enslaved, the work challenges dominant narratives and complements studies that focus on slaveowners and colonial actors.
The book has been used to deepen understanding of the human dimensions of West African slavery and its legacies.
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Sandra E. Greene
Sandra E. Greene, “Slave Owners of West Africa: Decision Making in the Age of Abolition” (Indiana UP, 2017)
