Africans in the Americas: A History the Black Diaspora [Hardcover]

Michael L. Conniff (Author), Thomas J. Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1994 | ISBN-10: 0312102755 | ISBN-13: 978-0312102753

This text provides a comparative history of African Americans, from the arrival of the first Africans in the Western Hemisphere to present. By offering a complete view of African-American history and by considering the contributions of blacks to the development of all of the Americas, the book aims to place the African diaspora in the larger context of world history.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This scholarly study of the black experience in the Americas will be of interest mostly to students. Conniff, a history professor at Auburn University in Alabama, and Davis, a teacher of African American studies and history at the State University of New York, proceed chronologically, providing background on the history of Africa and the slave trade, then looking at particular circumstances of life, labor, emancipation and assimilation in four regions: the Caribbean, Brazil, Spanish America and North America. The comparative approach yields meaningful observations, such as the more rapid acculturation by blacks in the United States, and the deleterious effects of Brazil's national repression of its slave history. Although they include certain intriguing details--for example, the contributions of largely ignored Afro-Mexicans to their country's hybrid society--the authors generally eschew anecdote and popular writing. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Latin American historian Conniff ( Black Labor on a White Canal , LJ 7/85) and African American historian and LJ reviewer Davis ( Rumor of Revolt , LJ 6/15/85) endeavor to chronicle the divergent histories of African slaves and their descendants in the United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, and Spanish America. Today, the African diaspora is mired in poverty, wields little political power, and still reflects the impact of European cultural hegemony. This introductory historiography shows how the racism inherent in European colonialism created this situation. Overall, the text outlines the dominion of state and European society over the African populations, with several chapters centering on the histories of the internal communities of African descent in the Americas. The bibliographic essay is useful, but scholars would want references. Recommended for all relevant collections.
- Kathleen E. Bethel, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, Ill.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312102755
• ISBN-13: 978-0312102753
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,277,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent! A must for every Black American Library., May 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Africans in the Americas: A History the Black Diaspora (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in a historical view of Africans; in Africa, before the Americas, during and after slavery. It is very well written and was extremely engaging. A wonderful reference book ... an important read for all Peoples.