Abstract

The Senegambia was among the first regions of West Africa to be fully incorporated into Atlantic Commerce. By the early 18th century, the French and British were entrenched on the two major waterways (Senegal and Gambia rivers) following over a century of Portuguese settlement and intermarriage. By the early 18th century new settlements emerged along the entirety of the Gambia riverbank linking commercial voyages based out of the British-held James Fort to the caravans from the interior. This network was continuously realigning as different goods came in and out of demand up until the eve of British Abolition. These local, regional and global shifts are visible in the landscape and material record of the different settlements. Drawing on archival and archaeological data, I demonstrate how the long 18th century on The Gambia River, cannot be understood without examining the intensity of the region’s connection to different points across the Atlantic from the 15th to late 19th century. Specifically, I consider all the ways that the slave trade impacted both those who were and were not subject to enslavement.

This presentation will be online via Zoom. Please register at: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIld-igrj4pHNQBHSsqMwplA_xzaG6Kbuim