Tracing the ethnic origins of enslaved Africans in Grenada

George, S. (2020) Tracing the ethnic origins of enslaved Africans in Grenada. Atlantic Studies, 17(2), pp. 160-183. (doi: 10.1080/14788810.2018.1509581)

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Abstract

The southeastern Caribbean island of Grenada has been excluded from studies concerned with the demographics of the trans-atlantic slave trade and its impact on the formation of African diasporic identities and cultures. Using Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, plantation lists, newspaper advertisements, and the multi-ethnic danced ceremony, Nation Dance, this article focuses on the demographics of the slave trade between 1669–1808 and the ethno-linguistic composition of Grenadian slave society. It demonstrates that various groups of enslaved Africans over time forged neo-African ethnic identities that remained visible in Nation Dance and archival material. In Nation Dance, inter-African blending and borrowing is evident, illustrating the complex ways whereby enslaved Africans and their descendants reconstructed their identities and cultures in the Atlantic world. Additionally, this article considers the limits of the Voyages Database and suggests ways in which other evidence may be used to understand the ethno-linguistic backgrounds of enslaved Grenadians.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:George, Dr Shantel
Authors: George, S.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
Journal Name:Atlantic Studies
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:1478-8810
ISSN (Online):1740-4649
Published Online:29 October 2018

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