In this detailed history of domestic architecture in West Africa, Peter
Mark shows how building styles are closely associated with social status and ethnic
identity. Mark documents the ways in which local architecture was transformed by
long-distance trade and complex social and cultural interactions between local
Africans, African traders from the interior, and the Portuguese explorers and
traders who settled in the Senegambia region. What came to be known as
"Portuguese" style symbolized the wealth and power of Luso-Africans, who
identified themselves as "Portuguese" so they could be distinguished from
their African neighbors. They were traders, spoke Creole, and practiced
Christianity. But what did this mean? Drawing from travelers' accounts, maps,
engravings, paintings, and photographs, Mark argues that both the style of
"Portuguese" houses and the identity of those who lived in them were
extremely fluid. "Portuguese" Style and Luso-African Identity sheds light
on the dynamic relationship between identity formation, social change, and material
culture in West Africa.
In this detailed history of domestic architecture in West Africa, Peter
Mark shows how building styles are closely associated with social status and ethnic
identity. Mark documents the ways in which local architecture was transformed by
long-distance trade and complex social and cultural interactions between local
Africans, African traders from the interior, and the Portuguese explorers and
traders who settled in the Senegambia region. What came to be known as
"Portuguese" style symbolized the wealth and power of Luso-Africans, who
identified themselves as "Portuguese" so they could be distinguished from
their African neighbors. They were traders, spoke Creole, and practiced
Christianity. But what did this mean? Drawing from travelers' accounts, maps,
engravings, paintings, and photographs, Mark argues that both the style of
"Portuguese" houses and the identity of those who lived in them were
extremely fluid. "Portuguese" Style and Luso-African Identity sheds light
on the dynamic relationship between identity formation, social change, and material
culture in West Africa.
"Portuguese" Style and Luso-African Identity: Precolonial Senegambia, Sixteenth - Nineteenth Centuries
224"Portuguese" Style and Luso-African Identity: Precolonial Senegambia, Sixteenth - Nineteenth Centuries
224Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780253109552 |
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Publisher: | Indiana University Press |
Publication date: | 12/05/2002 |
Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 224 |
File size: | 3 MB |