Description
Book SynopsisSteeve O. Buckridge is Director of Area Studies programs and Professor of African and Caribbean History at Grand Valley State University, Michigan, USA.
Trade ReviewLace-bark is truly an extraordinary natural material, and one bound intimately to the history of the Caribbean. This book is the first to reveal the hidden lives of the men and women who created the complex chain from living plant to clothing, giving agency to those overlooked by botanists and historians. Buckridge makes a compelling case for regarding lace-bark in an African context, while also demonstrating its centrality in Jamaican culture. * Mark Nesbitt, Research Leader in Economic Botany at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK *
This book highlights a virtually forgotten textile, but also contributes significant insight into the lived experiences of enslaved and newly-freed Africans in the Caribbean. It celebrates the knowledge and talents that enslaved women brought from West Africa, while contemplating what the future might hold for this distinctive bark cloth. * Heather Akou, Indiana University, USA *
Table of ContentsForeword by Joanne B. Eicher, Editor-in-Chief of the Berg Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion and Regents Professor Emerita at the University of Minnesota, USA Introduction Chapter 1: Pre-History to Early Slave Trade: People of the Forest Chapter 2: Plantation Jamaica: Controlling the Silver Chapter 3: Victorian Jamaica: Fancy Fans and Doilies Conclusion Appendix Notes Glossary Bibliography Index
