000			01545 a2200205 4500
008			240604b 2019|||||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9780141977669 (PB)
041			_aeng
080			_a94 _bGRE
100			_aGreen, Toby
245			_aA Fistful of Shells _b: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution
260			_bPenguin _c2019 _aLondon
300			_axxxix, 613p.
504			_aIncludes Index
520			_aThis book transforms our view of West and West-Central Africa. It reconstructs the world of kingdoms whose existence (like those of Europe) revolved around warfare, taxation, trade, diplomacy, complex religious beliefs, royal display and extravagance, and the production of art. Over time, the relationship between Africa and Europe revolved ever more around the trade in slaves, damaging Africa's relative political and economic power as the terms of monetary exchange shifted drastically in Europe's favour. In spite of these growing capital imbalances, longstanding contacts ensured remarkable connections between the Age of Revolution in Europe and America and the birth of a revolutionary nineteenth century in Africa. This book draws not just on written histories, but on archival research in nine countries, on art, praise-singers, oral history, archaeology, letters, and the author's personal experience to create a new perspective on the history of one of the world's most important regions
650			_aWest Africa
650			_aMarginal Revolution
690			_aGeneral
942			_cBK
999			_c60337 _d60337