A Fistful Of Shells by Toby Green
West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution
A sweeping history of West Africa from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries, this work reveals vibrant states and sophisticated economies whose fortunes were profoundly shaped by Atlantic trade. It shows how shifts in global markets, the slave trade, and chronic monetary shortages—from cowries to copper—reconfigured power, fueled warfare, and produced fiscal crises and social upheaval. Drawing on archives and oral traditions, it challenges Eurocentric narratives by highlighting deep-rooted systems of governance, commerce, and culture that both predated and responded to the rise of global capitalism.
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- Published
- 2019
- Nationality
- British
- Length
- Long
- Pages
- 640
- Original Language
- English
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