Description: This groundbreaking study tells the story of a West African people, the origins and character of their cultural forms and ideas, and how these Akan, or "pioneering peoples," shaped the politics and societies of their homeland as well as the European colonies in the Americas that received their enslaved members since the sixteenth century.
Review Quotes:
"[A] path-breaking contribution to the study of African diasporas in the Americas... [with] interdisciplinary breadth, methodological rigor, bold and imaginative concepts, and historical depth." -- New West Indian Guide
"[The book] demonstrates that an Atlantic history that does not give equal weight to both sides of the ocean cannot have much credibility." -- Slavery & Abolition
"There is much to appreciate in this impressively researched text." -- Journal of African History
"[A] significant contribution to studies of the African diaspora in the New World.... This is an engaging and illuminating study." -- James Miller, George Washington University
"[A] meaningful contribution to the dialogue about the nature of African culture and its transfer and transformation in the Americas." -- John Thornton, Boston University