Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora

Long before the rise of New World slavery, West Africans were skilled swimmers, divers, canoe makers, and canoeists. They lived along riverbanks, near lakes, or close to the ocean and transported to the Americas, slaves carried with them these skills and cultural values. Histories of slavery have largely chronicled the fields of the New World, but most plantations were located near waterways to facilitate the transportation of goods. Swimming and canoeing provided respite from the monotony of agricultural bondage and brief moments of bodily privacy. Enslaved laborers exchanged their aquatic expertise for unique privileges, including wages, opportunities to work free of direct white supervision, and even freedom.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 360 pages
\n Publication date: 07 May 2021
\n Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
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Long before the advent of New World slavery, West Africans were skilled swimmers, divers, canoe makers, and canoeists. They inhabited the banks of rivers, near lakes, or close to the ocean. In these waterways, they honed diverse maritime skills while integrating water and aquatics into their spiritual worldviews. When enslaved people were transported to the Americas, they carried with them these West African skills and cultural values. Indeed, according to Kevin Dawson's examination of water culture in the African diaspora, the aquatic abilities of people of African descent often outstripped those of Europeans and their descendants from the age of discovery until well into the nineteenth century. Dawson argues that histories of slavery have primarily focused on the fields of the New World, such as tobacco, sugar, indigo, rice, or cotton. However, most plantations were situated near waterways to facilitate the transportation of goods to market, and large numbers of agricultural slaves had ready access to water to sustain their abilities and interests. Swimming and canoeing offered respite from the monotony of agricultural bondage and brief moments of bodily privacy. In some instances, enslaved laborers exchanged their aquatic expertise for unique privileges, including wages, opportunities to work free of direct white supervision, and even in rare circumstances, freedom. Dawson's analysis is built around a discussion of African traditions and how similar traditions—swimming, diving, boat making, and even surfing—emerged within African diasporic communities.
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.

\n Weight: 546g\n
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780812224931\n \n