Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Economic Organization and Cultural Cohesion of Fugitive Slave Communities in 19th-Century Kenya

博士论文改进补助金：19世纪肯尼亚逃亡奴隶社区的经济组织和文化凝聚力

• 批准号: 0733784
• 负责人: Adria LaViolette
• 金额: $ 1.5万
• 依托单位: University of Virginia Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-09-01 至 2008-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0733784&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Economic

Under the supervision of Dr. Adria LaViolette, Lydia Wilson will conduct an archaeological investigation of settlements established by fugitive slaves in 19th-century Kenya. The project's goal is to delineate how the position of fugitives as refugees from enslavement shaped the economic, social, and cultural organization of their villages. Literate outsiders interacted little with runaway slaves, and, consequently, the written record offers limited insight into their communities. Archaeology provides a valuable window onto these refugees' lives through analysis of the material record they left behind. The project will specifically compare the cultural cohesion and economic organization of fugitive slave groups and the coastal hinterland communities that neighbored them. As the first archaeological study of fugitive slave settlements in Eastern Africa, this project will illuminate the lives of people little understood by scholars in any field. The study will also promote interregional analysis of slavery and slave resistance by expanding the comparative perspective already fostered by similar research in Mauritius, Brazil, the Caribbean, and the mainland U.S. Finally and most broadly, this project will contribute to cross-disciplinary understandings of community creation. Fugitive slave communities typically formed more rapidly than communities forged under less perilous circumstances. This accelerated rate of development allows scientists to use fugitive slave groups to better understand group formation: in the absence of shared traditions and practices, what holds newly formed communities together? This project's Eastern Africa focus offers a distinct cultural context and power dynamic in which to consider community formation. Runaways in Eastern Africa typically negotiated a much more fluid social environment than did their counterparts in the New World. This project's analysis of fugitive slave community creation in a very different power dynamic than those previously studied in the Americas will help to clarify how power dynamics affect and/or disrupt group formation. Beyond its academic importance, the proposed project offers several broader impacts. The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is a participant in the UNESCO Slave Routes Program, and one of its aims is the development of a museum on slavery. The proposed project, which will be affiliated with the NMK, promises to advance such goals. By incorporating NMK archaeologists, the project will also promote local participation in Kenyan archaeology. The project is equally committed to disseminating its research results to public audiences. Planned outreach strategies include on-site school tours during excavation and the creation of curricular materials. The development of on-site educational tourism may further integrate local communities into the research process. A longer-term goal is the creation of a website explicating the project for both professional and public audiences. Project results will also be shared at academic conferences and in publication in professional journals. Through participation in these broader scientific discourses, the author will strive to promote an awareness of her work among researchers with related interests. Finally, the project will support the graduate education and professional development of the author.

在亚德里亚·拉维奥莱特博士的监督下，莉迪亚·威尔逊将对19世纪肯尼亚逃亡奴隶建立的定居点进行考古调查。该项目的目标是描绘逃亡者作为奴役难民的地位如何塑造了他们村庄的经济，社会和文化组织。受过教育的外地人与逃亡奴隶的互动很少，因此，书面记录对他们的社区提供了有限的了解。考古学通过分析这些难民留下的物质记录，为了解他们的生活提供了一扇宝贵的窗口。该项目将具体比较逃亡奴隶群体及其周边沿海腹地社区的文化凝聚力和经济组织。作为对东非逃亡奴隶定居点的第一次考古研究，这个项目将阐明在任何领域的学者都不太了解的人的生活。通过扩展在毛里求斯、巴西、加勒比地区和美国大陆开展的类似研究已经形成的比较视角，该研究还将促进对奴隶制和奴隶抵抗的跨区域分析。最后，最广泛的是，该项目将有助于对社区创造的跨学科理解。逃亡奴隶社区通常比在不那么危险的环境下形成的社区更快。这种加速的发展速度使科学家能够利用逃亡奴隶群体来更好地理解群体的形成：在缺乏共同的传统和实践的情况下，是什么使新形成的社区团结在一起？这个项目的东非重点提供了一个独特的文化背景和权力动态，以考虑社区的形成。与新世界的逃亡者相比，东非的逃亡者通常能适应更加多变的社会环境。该项目对逃亡奴隶社区创建的分析与之前在美洲研究的截然不同，将有助于阐明权力动态如何影响和/或破坏群体形成。除了学术上的重要性之外，这个拟议中的项目还带来了几个更广泛的影响。肯尼亚国家博物馆（NMK）是联合国教科文组织奴隶之路计划的参与者，其目标之一是建立一个关于奴隶制的博物馆。拟议中的项目将隶属于NMK，有望推进这些目标。通过吸纳NMK考古学家，该项目还将促进当地参与肯尼亚考古。该项目同样致力于向公众传播其研究成果。计划的外展策略包括在挖掘期间的现场学校参观和课程材料的创作。现场教育旅游的发展可以进一步将当地社区纳入研究过程。一个长期的目标是创建一个网站，为专业人士和公众观众解释这个项目。项目成果也将在学术会议上分享，并在专业期刊上发表。通过参与这些更广泛的科学论述，作者将努力促进与相关兴趣的研究人员对她的工作的认识。最后，该项目将支持作者的研究生教育和专业发展。