Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora

Kevin Dawson

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press 2018

Undercurrents of Power

Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora

Kevin Dawson

In the series The Early Modern Americas

https://doi.org/10.9783/9780812294781

Overview
Contents

About this book

Kevin Dawson considers how enslaved Africans carried aquatic skills—swimming, diving, boat making, even surfing—to the Americas. Undercurrents of Power not only chronicles the experiences of enslaved maritime workers, but also traverses the waters of the Atlantic repeatedly to trace and untangle cultural and social traditions.

Author / Editor information

Kevin Dawson is Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Merced.

Reviews

"Kevin Dawson offers the remarkable untold history of the significance of aquatic culture in the African diaspora. Undercurrents of Power opens up a new and exciting aspect of slaves' experience, providing a crucially important piece of the history of slave life and labor in the Americas."—James Sidbury, Rice University

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction. Waterscapes of the African Diaspora Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part I. Swimming Culture
Chapter 1. Atlantic African Aquatic Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
Chapter 2. Cultural Meanings of Recreational Swimming and Surfing Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
Chapter 3. Aquatic Sports and Performance Rituals: Gender, Bravery, and Honor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
Chapter 4. History from Below: Enslaved Underwater Divers Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
Chapter 5. Undercurrents of Power: Challenging Racial Hierarchies from Below Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
Part II. Canoe Culture
Chapter 6. African Canoe-Makers: Constructing Floating Cultures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
Chapter 7. Mountains Divide and Rivers Unite: Atlantic African Canoemen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
Chapter 8. Maritime Continuities: African Canoes on New World Waters Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Chapter 9. The Floating Economies of Slaves and Slaveholders Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	164
Chapter 10. Sacred Vessels, Sacred Waters: The Cultural Meanings of Dugout Canoes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
Chapter 11. A World Afloat: Mobile Slave Communities Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	204
Chapter 12. The Watermen’s Song: Canoemen’s Aural Waterscapes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	222
Conclusion. A Sea Change in Atlantic History Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	251
Epilogue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	254
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	337
Acknowledgements Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	349

Language: English
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 360
Illustrations
- Other: 29 illus.
Keywords: History; African-American Studies; African Studies; American History; American Studies; European History; World History

eBook

Published: February 9, 2018
ISBN: 9780812294781