Academic Journal
Trade Networks and Consumer Practices in Amedeka, Ghana: Negotiating "Nkudzedze" From the Late 19th to Mid‐20th Centuries.
| Τίτλος: | Trade Networks and Consumer Practices in Amedeka, Ghana: Negotiating "Nkudzedze" From the Late 19th to Mid‐20th Centuries. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Kuma, Dela |
| Πηγή: | American Anthropologist; Dec2025, Vol. 127 Issue 4, p757-776, 20p |
| Θεματικοί όροι: | Consumption (Economics), Ghanaians, Twentieth century, Ethnobotany, Nineteenth century, Aesthetics, Trade routes |
| Γεωγραφικοί όροι: | West Africa, Ghana |
| Abstract (English): | This paper examines local taste practices in the era of "legitimate trade" when the trade in botanical (e.g., palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa) and nonbotanical (e.g., ivory, textiles) commodities replaced the trade in enslaved Africans. Following the 1807 British abolition of the Atlantic trade in enslaved people, the locus of the trade in the geopolitical area now known as Ghana shifted from the Atlantic coast to the hinterland regions. This region actively participated in the new legitimate economy and also shaped the networks of trade through its local practices of taste. In this article, I argue that community‐based archaeology combined with local epistemologies provides alternative histories that underscore how local people experienced global encounters in the 19th and 20th centuries. In Amedeka, southeastern Ghana, where this research is situated, local tastes and their related performances are conceptualized through the Ewe expression, nkudzedze—"pleasing to the eyes." Drawing on Indigenous archaeologies and Black feminist perspectives, I trace the materiality of nkudzedze through the consumption of imported ceramics excavated from Amedeka to understand daily socioeconomic life and problematize the Western lens of taste and knowledge production in Ghana and West Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Abstract (Spanish): | RÉSUMÉ: Le présent article se penche sur les pratiques gustatives locales à l'époque du « commerce légitime », qui a vu le commerce des produits botaniques (huile de palme, huile de palmiste et cacao) et non botaniques (ivoire, textiles) remplacer le commerce d'esclaves africains. Après l'abolition de la traite négrière transatlantique par les Britanniques en 1807, l'espace géopolitique de cette traite actuellement connu sous le nom de Ghana, s'est déplacé du littoral atlantique vers les régions intérieures. Cette région a joué un rôle actif dans la nouvelle économie légitime et a également influencé le développement des réseaux commerciaux grâce à ses traditions culinaires locales. Dans cet article, je fais valoir que les recherches archéologiques communautaires menées en association avec des épistémologies locales apportent des histoires alternatives qui mettent en relief la façon dont les populations locales ont vécu les rencontres avec le reste du monde au cours des 19ème et 20èmes siècles. À Amedeka, dans le sud‐est du Ghana, où se déroule cette recherche, les goûts locaux sont conceptualisés à travers l'expression Ewe, nkudzedze—« agréable à regarder ». Je retrace la matérialité de nkudzedze à travers la consommation de céramiques importées à Amedeka pour comprendre la vie socio‐économique quotidienne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of American Anthropologist is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | Complementary Index |
| FullText | Links: – Type: other Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: http://www.jstor.org/openurl?issn=00027294&date=2025&volume=127&issue=4&spage=757 Name: JSTOR (all content) (s7799221) Category: fullText Text: Icon: https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/branding/jstor/iconJSTOR.gif MouseOverText: Full Text from JSTOR |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Trade Networks and Consumer Practices in Amedeka, Ghana: Negotiating "Nkudzedze" From the Late 19th to Mid‐20th Centuries. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kuma%2C+Dela%22">Kuma, Dela</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: American Anthropologist; Dec2025, Vol. 127 Issue 4, p757-776, 20p – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consumption+%28Economics%29%22">Consumption (Economics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ghanaians%22">Ghanaians</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Twentieth+century%22">Twentieth century</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethnobotany%22">Ethnobotany</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nineteenth+century%22">Nineteenth century</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aesthetics%22">Aesthetics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Trade+routes%22">Trade routes</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22West+Africa%22">West Africa</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ghana%22">Ghana</searchLink> – Name: AbstractNonEng Label: Abstract (English) Group: Ab Data: This paper examines local taste practices in the era of "legitimate trade" when the trade in botanical (e.g., palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa) and nonbotanical (e.g., ivory, textiles) commodities replaced the trade in enslaved Africans. Following the 1807 British abolition of the Atlantic trade in enslaved people, the locus of the trade in the geopolitical area now known as Ghana shifted from the Atlantic coast to the hinterland regions. This region actively participated in the new legitimate economy and also shaped the networks of trade through its local practices of taste. In this article, I argue that community‐based archaeology combined with local epistemologies provides alternative histories that underscore how local people experienced global encounters in the 19th and 20th centuries. In Amedeka, southeastern Ghana, where this research is situated, local tastes and their related performances are conceptualized through the Ewe expression, nkudzedze—"pleasing to the eyes." Drawing on Indigenous archaeologies and Black feminist perspectives, I trace the materiality of nkudzedze through the consumption of imported ceramics excavated from Amedeka to understand daily socioeconomic life and problematize the Western lens of taste and knowledge production in Ghana and West Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractNonEng Label: Abstract (Spanish) Group: Ab Data: RÉSUMÉ: Le présent article se penche sur les pratiques gustatives locales à l'époque du « commerce légitime », qui a vu le commerce des produits botaniques (huile de palme, huile de palmiste et cacao) et non botaniques (ivoire, textiles) remplacer le commerce d'esclaves africains. Après l'abolition de la traite négrière transatlantique par les Britanniques en 1807, l'espace géopolitique de cette traite actuellement connu sous le nom de Ghana, s'est déplacé du littoral atlantique vers les régions intérieures. Cette région a joué un rôle actif dans la nouvelle économie légitime et a également influencé le développement des réseaux commerciaux grâce à ses traditions culinaires locales. Dans cet article, je fais valoir que les recherches archéologiques communautaires menées en association avec des épistémologies locales apportent des histoires alternatives qui mettent en relief la façon dont les populations locales ont vécu les rencontres avec le reste du monde au cours des 19ème et 20èmes siècles. À Amedeka, dans le sud‐est du Ghana, où se déroule cette recherche, les goûts locaux sont conceptualisés à travers l'expression Ewe, nkudzedze—« agréable à regarder ». Je retrace la matérialité de nkudzedze à travers la consommation de céramiques importées à Amedeka pour comprendre la vie socio‐économique quotidienne. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: Abstract Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of American Anthropologist is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/aman.70021 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 20 StartPage: 757 Subjects: – SubjectFull: West Africa Type: general – SubjectFull: Ghana Type: general – SubjectFull: Consumption (Economics) Type: general – SubjectFull: Ghanaians Type: general – SubjectFull: Twentieth century Type: general – SubjectFull: Ethnobotany Type: general – SubjectFull: Nineteenth century Type: general – SubjectFull: Aesthetics Type: general – SubjectFull: Trade routes Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Trade Networks and Consumer Practices in Amedeka, Ghana: Negotiating "Nkudzedze" From the Late 19th to Mid‐20th Centuries. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kuma, Dela IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 12 Text: Dec2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00027294 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 127 – Type: issue Value: 4 Titles: – TitleFull: American Anthropologist Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |