Originally published in 1980 and here re-issued with an updated preface, this book deals with the role of the horse in the societies of West Africa during the pre-colonial period. It traces the history of its introduction and its diffusion within West Africa, and examines the problems of maintaining horses in such a harsh environment. The use of horses in warfare in analysed but the non-military aspects of the West African horse culture are also discussed, principally the use of horses as tokens of status and wealth. The book includes a review of the decline of the West African horse culture in the 20th century, reflecting the passing of a political system based on warfare and slavery.

Horse in West African History

Politics & Social Sciences

Law, Robin

Social Sciences

Oxford Univ. Pr.

Never before seen in print, the letter-books of the Royal African Company of England cover the crucial historical period between 1681 and 1699. Here, the original texts are published in full, with extensive explanatory commentary. This second volume contains letters from 1685 to 1688.

The English in West Africa, 1685-1688: The Local Correspondence of the Royal African Company of England 1681-1699, Part 2 (Fontes Historiae Africanae, 5)

Business & Money

International

The British Academy

The Vice-Consulate in the coastal port of Ouidah, in the kingdom of Dahomey, West African (now in the modern Republic of Benin) was established in1851-2 as part of the British government's efforts to suppress the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In particular it was hoped to persuade King Gezo to accept a treaty banning exports of slaves from his dominions. Louis Fraser proved a poor choice as Vice-Consul: he was no linguist, abrasive with naval colleagues and arrogant towards the king and people of Ouidah. However, his shortcomings as a diplomat do not detract from the value of his account as a historical resource. The documents collected here comprise principally the journals of the Vice-Consul, Louis Fraser, together with letters and other reports by him, a selection of the documents referred to in his journals, and letters and reports by other British officials (especially officers of the navy's West African squadron) which refer to his activities. These documents are valuable sources, not only for the history of British policy on the slave trade, but also for the history of Dahomey, which was one of the most important indigenous states in coastal West Africa in the nineteenth century. Fraser was one of a number of British visitors to Dahomey in the mid-nineteenth century, many of whom left published accounts. Fraser's account, in contrast, was never published, and so has remained less known. Its publication now brings it more effectively within the public domain.

Dahomey and the Ending of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: The Journals and Correspondence of Vice-Consul Louis Fraser, 1851-1852 (Fontes Historiae Africanae, 10)

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

Consul John Beecroft's Journal of his Mission to Dahomey, 1850 features diary entries made by John Beecroft whilst he was British Consul in West Africa. His diplomatic mission to the kingdom of Dahomey (in what is today the Republic of Benin) in 1850 was part of the British government's efforts to suppress the trans-Atlantic slave trade. He sought (unsuccessfully) to persuade the Dahomian king, Gezo, to accept a treaty to ban the export of slaves from his dominions. This journal is a valuable source, not only for the history of British policy towards the slave trade, but also for the history of Dahomey, which was one of the most important indigenous states in coastal West Africa in the nineteenth century. This edition includes additional documents relating to the mission, including the journal of Beecroft's co-envoy, the naval officer Lieutenant F.E. Forbes. Comparison between Beecroft's and Forbes's accounts reveals numerous discrepancies, which raise important methodological issues, relating to the evaluation of such European reportage of African societies. The edition includes an editorial introduction and extensive annotation, which supplies the contextualization necessary for full understanding of the text, including cross-referencing to and comparison with other contemporary accounts of Dahomey and its dealings with the British.

Consul John Beecroft's Journal of his Mission to Dahomey, 1850 (Fontes Historiae Africanae, 17)

History

Africa

This book studies the impact of the Atlantic slave trade on the "Slave Coast" of West Africa, an area covering modern south-eastern Ghana, Togo, Benin, and south-western Nigeria. This region was one of the most important sources of slaves for the Atlantic slave trade, and its history provides an exceptionally well-documented illustration of the effect of the trade on the indigenous African societies of the Slave Coast. The expansion of the slave exports during the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries coincided with a period of political disorder, which ended with the rise of the new kingdom of Dahomey. Dahomey was a more militarized and more politically centralized state than those which preceded it in the region, and its distinctive character reflected the impact of the slave trade. Law examines the events which preceded the rise of Dahomey, the organization of the slave trade and its impact on the domestic economy, and the social and political structures of Dahomey and its predecessors.

The Slave Coast of West Africa, 1550-1750: The Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on an African Society (Oxford Studies in African Affairs)

Oxford University Press

Oyo Empire, c.1600-c.1836: West African Imperialism in the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade (Oxford Studies in African Affairs)

Oxf.U.P.

The Oyo Empire c. 1600-c. 1836: A West African Imperialism in the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade (Modern Revivals in History)

Gregg Revivals

Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port, 1727–1892 (Western African Studies)

Ouidah, an African town in the Republic of Benin, was the principal precolonial commercial center of its region and the second-most-important town of the Dahomey kingdom. It served as a major outlet for the transatlantic slave trade. Between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries, Ouidah was the most important embarkation point for slaves in the region of West Africa known to outsiders as the Slave Coast. This is the first detailed study of the town’s history and of its role in the Atlantic slave trade.Ouidah is a well-documented case study of precolonial urbanism, of the evolution of a merchant community, and in particular of the growth of a group of private traders whose relations with the Dahomian monarchy grew increasingly problematic over time.

Ohio University Press

Ouidah, an African town in the Republic of Benin, was the principal precolonial commercial center of its region and the second-most-important town of the Dahomey kingdom. It served as a major outlet for the transatlantic slave trade. Between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries, Ouidah was the most important embarkation point for slaves in the region of West Africa known to outsiders as the Slave Coast. This is the first detailed study of the town’s history and of its role in the Atlantic slave trade. Ouidah is a well-documented case study of precolonial urbanism, of the evolution of a merchant community, and in particular of the growth of a group of private traders whose relations with the Dahomian monarchy grew increasingly problematic over time.

Ouidah, an indigenous African town in the modern Republic of Benin, was the principal pre-colonial commercial centre of its region, and the second most important town of the Dahomey kingdom. It served as a major outlet for the export of slaves for the trans- Atlantic trade. Between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries Ouidah was the most important embarkation point for slaves in the region of West Africa known to outsiders as the 'Slave Coast'. Exporting over a million slaves, it was second only to Luanda in Angola for the embarkation of slaves in the whole of Africa. The author's central concerns are the organization of the African end of the slave trade, and the impact participation in the trade had on the historical development of the African societies involved. It shifts the focus from the viewpoint of the Dahomian monarchy, represented in previous studies, to the coast. Here is a well documented case study of pre-colonial urbanism, of the evolution of a merchant community, and in particular the growth of a group of private traders whose relations with the Dahomian monarchy grew increasingly problematic over time. North America: Ohio U Press

Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port 1727-1892 (Western African Studies (Paperback))

James Currey

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Law, Robin. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Law, Robin

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Law, Robin. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Horse in West African History

The English in West Africa, 1685-1688: The Local Correspondence of the Royal African Company of England 1681-1699, Part 2 (Fontes Historiae Africanae, 5)

Dahomey and the Ending of the Transatlantic Slave Trade: The Journals and Correspondence of Vice-Consul Louis Fraser, 1851-1852 (Fontes Historiae Africanae, 10)

Consul John Beecroft's Journal of his Mission to Dahomey, 1850 (Fontes Historiae Africanae, 17)

The Slave Coast of West Africa, 1550-1750: The Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade on an African Society (Oxford Studies in African Affairs)

Oyo Empire, c.1600-c.1836: West African Imperialism in the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade (Oxford Studies in African Affairs)

The Oyo Empire c. 1600-c. 1836: A West African Imperialism in the Era of the Atlantic Slave Trade (Modern Revivals in History)

Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port, 1727–1892 (Western African Studies)

Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port, 1727–1892 (Western African Studies)

Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port 1727-1892 (Western African Studies (Paperback))