Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Economy and Statecraft in the Save Hills of West Africa

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With National Science Foundation support, Andrew Gurstelle will examine the effects of pre-colonial political centralization on local economies in the Savè hills area of the modern day Republic of Bénin. Since at least the late first millennium AD, West African societies have intensively participated in long-distance exchange trade networks. These networks linked the region with the rest of Africa and beyond. Over the past half century, archaeological research has documented how African elites actively manipulated these networks to support the creation of powerful states. This research has led to a deep understanding of the intersection between trade, centralization and political economy. Comparatively little attention has been given to the local economies of centralized states - economic practices such as agriculture, craft production, and labor organization - which formed the basis of economic life and underwrote participation in long-distance exchange. Even less is known about the economic activities and organization of polities not engaged in long-distance exchange. These research questions touch on areas of broad anthropological interest, such as the deep history of sociopolitical inequalities and the origins of ancient states. They also provide insight into how political entities function in many parts of the world today.Under the supervision of Dr. Carla Sinopoli, Mr. Gurstelle will conduct intensive survey and test excavations of archaeological sites in the Savè hills area of Bénin. This research targets sites around Idadu (modern day Savè), the traditional capital of the Shabe kingdom, to investigate how local economic practices affected and were affected by processes of state formation. The kingdom likely formed during the early second millennium, contemporary with other Yoruba states. Unlike other states, there is no clear evidence that the Shabe kingdom directly participated in either the trans-Saharan or trans-Atlantic trade networks. The ability of Shabe elite to centralize their authority and establish a state is not well explained by models that rely on control over long-distance exchange.In addition to disseminating the results of this research through Mr. Gurstelle's dissertation and other scholarly publications, regular sessions will be organized with the modern communities in the Savè hills area to foster awareness of the richness of the local archaeological record and encourage the preservation of archaeological sites. The results of this research will also be used to train area tour guides to recognize and protect archaeological sites and incorporate archaeology into their cultural and ecological tours. Fostering archaeological stewardship is particularly important as no systematic recording of archaeological sites exists for the area, and the archaeological landscape is under intense pressure from increasing agricultural usage. The results of this research will be incorporated into a museum exhibit on local history that will be exhibited in Savè as well as in southeastern Michigan for general public audiences.