Introduction - Origins: Ouidah before the Dahomian conquest - The Dahomian conquest of Ouidah - Dahomian Ouidah - The operation of the Atlantic slave trade - De Souza's Ouidah: the era of the illegal slave trade, 1815-39 - The era of transition: from slaves to palm oil, 1840-57 - Dissension & decline: Ouidah under King Glele, 1858-77 - From Dahomian to French rule, 1878-92 - Sources & bibliography.
Robin Law is Professor of African History at the University of Stirling.
This work is a masterful chronological history of a community,
especially the history of its merchant families. Although grounded
in archival research, the book's collection of oral traditions from
descendants of the Ouidah merchants makes this study of an urban
community unique. Especially important is the history of the
Brazilians among them, because many of these merchants were
ex-slaves themselves and Portuguese was the lingua franca.
*CHOICE*
This magisterial volume, an impressive contribution to the history
of West Africa and of the slave trade, together with his numerous
other published works, highlights Robin Law as one of the most
distinguished historians in the field of African history.
*AFRICAN STUDIES*
Ouidah offers a great deal more than just a case study of slave
traffic. Professor Law examines the town from the inside out, and
from its obscure Hueda origins to its occupation by the French in
1892 via its long incorporation into the kingdom of Dahomey.
Slaving features as a staple of the local economy - the merchants
and officials of Ouidah served as middlemen in the sale of slaves
taken elsewhere - and is a recurring theme, but the character of
the town and its inhabitants are also dealt with at length. Of
course, they are inextricably linked. ... Professor Law excels in
reconstructing the topography, society and administrative history
of Ouidah under successive regimes and relating these structures to
the conduct of external trade, both for slaves and, latterly, for
palm oil.
*HISTORY*
This book is an excellent case study on the formation, growth and
decline of Ouidah's Atlantic merchant community and of the town
itself. ... this is a very informative book. It provides a detailed
analysis of the formation and growth of Ouidah's trade community
and its relations with Dahomey in the era of Atlantic commerce.
*INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF SOCIAL HISTORY*
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