Description
Book SynopsisIntroduction.- Seeds of Memory: Botanical Legacies of the African Diaspora.- Did Enslaved Africans Spark South Carolina's 18th-Century Rice Boom?.- African Origins of Sesame Cultivation in the Americas.- By the Rivers of Babylon: The Lowcountry Basket in Slavery and Freedom.- Gathering, Buying, and Growing Sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia sericea): Urbanization and Social Networking in the Sweetgrass Basket-Making Industry of Lowcountry South Carolina.- Marketing, Culture and Conservation Value of NTFPs: A Case Study of Afro-Ecuadorian Use of Piquigua (Heteropsis ecuadorensis, Araceae).- Berimbau de Barriga: Musical Ethnobotany of the Afro-Brazilian Diaspora.- Trans-Atlantic Diaspora Ethnobotany: Legacies of West African and Iberian Mediterranean Migration in Central Cuba.- What Makes a Plant Magical? Symbolism and Sacred Herbs in Afro-Surinamese Winti Rituals.- Medicinal and Cooling Teas of Barbados.- Candomble's Cosmic Tree and Brazil's Ficus Species.- Exploring Biocultural Contexts: Compara
Trade ReviewFrom the reviews:
“This fascinating book, written by inquisitive authors, should be required reading for ethnoecological scholars. It documents the essential importance of African peoples and plants in the Americas through fruitful methodological syntheses of ethnobotanical and ethnoecological approaches, both diachronic and synchronic.” (Egleé L. Zent, Ethnobiology Letters, Vol. 4, October, 2013)
“A rich and exciting volume that joins a burgeoning effort to widen the ethnobotanical gaze, embracing the dynamisms of diaspora, migration, and disturbance. … volume will find great utility among scholars of ethnobotany, per se, but most any reader interested in the human–environment interface will find value in its clear prose and probing of historical discussions. The volume will make an effective course reader for undergraduates in geography, anthropology, and other disciplines, as it provides a compelling window into contemporary research methodologies and approaches.” (Case Watkins, The AAG Review of Books, Vol. 1 (4), 2013)
Table of Contents1. Introduction (Robert Voeks and John Rashford)
Crops and Cultivators
2. Seeds of Memory: Botanical Legacies of the African Diaspora (Judith Carney)
3. Did Enslaved Africans Spark South Carolina’s 18th-Century Rice Boom? (Stanley B. Alpern)
4. African Origins of Sesame Cultivation in the Americas (Dorothea Bedigian)
Handicrafts and Crafters
5. By the Rivers of Babylon: The Lowcountry Basket in Slavery and Freedom (Dale Rosengarten)
6. Gathering, Buying, and Growing Sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia sericea): Urbanization and Social Networking in the Sweetgrass Basket-Making Industry of Lowcountry South Carolina (Patrick T. Hurley, Brian Grabbatin, Cari Goetcheus, and Angela Halfacre)
7. Marketing, Culture and Conservation Value of NTFPs: A Case Study of Afro-Ecuadorian Use of Piquigua (Heteropsis ecuadorensis, Araceae) (Maria Fadiman)
8. Berimbau de Barriga: Musical Ethnobotany of the Afro-Brazilian Diaspora (James Sera and Robert Voeks)
Medicinal and Spiritual Ethnofloras
9. Trans-Atlantic Diaspora Ethnobotany: Legacies of West African and Iberian Mediterranean Migration in Central Cuba (Erica Moret)
10. What Makes a Plant Magical? Symbolism and Sacred Herbs in Afro-Surinamese Winti Rituals (Tinde van Andel, Sofie Ruysschaert, Kobeke Van de Putte, and Sara Groenendijk)
11. Medicinal and Cooling Teas of Barbados (Sonia Peter)
Ethnobotanical Continuity and Change
12. Candomble's Cosmic Tree and Brazil's Ficus Species (John Rashford)
13. Exploring Biocultural Contexts: Comparative Woody Plant Knowledge of an Indigenous and Afro-American Maroon Community in Suriname, South America (Bruce Hoffman)
14. Ethnobotany of Brazil’s African Diaspora: The Role of Floristic Homogenization (Robert Voeks)
