Mastering the Niger : James MacQueen's African Geography and the Struggle Over Atlantic Slavery

In __Mastering the Niger__, David Lambert recalls Scotsman James MacQueen (1778–1870) and his publication of __A New Map of Africa__ in 1841 to show that Atlantic slavery—as a practice of subjugation, a source of wealth, and a focus of political struggle—was entangled with the production, circulation, and reception of geographical knowledge. The British empire banned the slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery itself in 1833, creating a need for a new British imperial economy. Without ever setting foot on the continent, MacQueen took on the task of solving the “Niger problem,” that is, to successfully map the course of the river and its tributaries, and thus breathe life into his scheme for the exploration, colonization, and commercial exploitation of West Africa.Lambert illustrates how MacQueen’s geographical research began, four decades before the publication of the __New Map__, when he was managing a sugar estate on the West Indian colony of Grenada. There MacQueen encountered slaves with firsthand knowledge of West Africa, whose accounts would form the basis of his geographical claims. Lambert examines the inspirations and foundations for MacQueen’s geographical theory as well as its reception, arguing that Atlantic slavery and ideas for alternatives to it helped produce geographical knowledge, while geographical discourse informed the struggle over slavery. "In Mastering the Niger, David Lambert recalls Scotsman James MacQueen (1778-1870) and his publication of A New Map of Africa in 1841 to show that Atlantic slavery-as a practice of subjugation, a source of wealth, and a focus of political struggle-was entangled with the production, circulation, and reception of geographical knowledge. The British empire banned the slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery itself in 1833, creating a need for a new British imperial economy. Without ever setting foot on the continent, MacQueen took on the task of solving the "Niger problem," that is, to successfully map the course of the river and its tributaries, and thus breathe life into his scheme for the exploration, colonization, and commercial exploitation of West Africa. Lambert illustrates how MacQueen's geographical research began, four decades before the publication of the New Map, when he was managing a sugar estate on the West Indian colony of Grenada. There MacQueen encountered slaves with firsthand knowledge of West Africa, whose accounts would form the basis of his geographical claims. Lambert examines the inspirations and foundations for MacQueen's geographical theory as well as its reception, arguing that Atlantic slavery and ideas for alternatives to it helped produce geographical knowledge, while geographical discourse informed the struggle over slavery." Présentation de l'éditeur Contents List of Figures 1. Mastering the Niger Part One: Sources 2. “Mr. Park’s Book” and the Niger Problem 3. Keeping Account of Atlantic Commerce 4. Captive Knowledge Part Two: Courses 5. Credibility and Truth Making in the Atlantic World 6. Surveying Sierra Leone 7. Thomas Fowell Buxton and the Niger Expedition Part Three: Termination 8. Beyond the Niger Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index Mastering the Niger Examines the inspirations and foundations for James MacQueen's geographical theory as well as its reception, arguing that Atlantic slavery and ideas for alternatives to it helped produce geographical knowledge, while geographical discourse informed the struggle over slavery. Full description This book presents an analysis of James MacQueen's 1841 "A New Map of Africa," saying that Atlantic slavery was not only a practice of subjugation, a source of wealth, and a focus of political struggle, but it was also entangled with production, circulation, and reception of geographical knowledge