Description
Book SynopsisA work of architectural history,
Portrait of an Island explores the material culture and social relations of West Africa in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. An examination of the built and natural landscape,
Portrait of an Island deciphers the material culture involved in the ever-changing relationships among male, female, rich, poor, free, and slave.
Trade Review "A very convincing portrait."—Michelle Moore Apotsos,
CCA Reviews"A well-researched, well-documented, and well-argued piece of scholarship. . . . Hinchman makes an important contribution to the literature on the history of art and architecture, the history of the built environment, and slavery and the slave trade in West Africa, in general, and in Senegal, in particular."—Kalala Ngalamulume, H-France
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Portrait of an Island is a valuable asset for scholars as well as for students of African colonial architecture, the material cultures of imperialism, and early modern histories of identity formation and cultural exchange."—Dwight Carey,
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians“A major contribution to the understanding of early modern building traditions and lifestyles in West Africa, a literature that is missing in the larger architectural body of work.”—Nnamdi Elleh, author of
African Architecture: Evolution and TransformationTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: An Interdisciplinary Stroll in Early Modern West Africa1. The Natural Landscape: The Island and Cartography2. The Built Landscape: Architecture and Urbanism3. The Elite: Patrons, Critics, and Fans4. The Middle: Occupational Groups5. The Bottom Rung: Servants and Slaves6. Things: Houses and Their ContentsConclusion: Building MemoriesAppendix of TablesNotesBibliographyIndex
