The World and a Very Small Place in Africa : A History of Globalization in Niumi, the Gambia

The World and a Very Small Place in Africa is a fascinating look at how contacts with the wider world have affected how people have lived in Niumi, a small and little-known region at the mouth of West Africa's Gambia River, for over a thousand years. Drawing on archives, oral traditions and published works, Donald R. Wright connects world history with real people on a local level through an exploration of how global events have affected life in Niumi. Thoroughly revised and updated throughout, this new edition rests on recent thinking in globalization theory, reflects the latest historiography and has been extended to the present day through discussion of the final years of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's regime, the role of global forces in the events of the 2016 presidential elections and the changes that resulted from these elections. The book is supported throughout by photographs, maps and Perspectives boxes that present detailed information on such topics as Alex Haley's Roots (part set in Niumi), why Gambians take the risky "back way" to reach Europe, or "Wiri-Wiri," the Senegalese soap that has Gambians' attention. Written in a clear and personal style and taking a critical yet sensitive approach, it remains an essential resource for students and scholars of African history, particularly those interested in the impact of globalization on the lives of real people. -- Provided by publisher The World and a Very Small Place in Africa Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of illustrations List of maps List of perspectives Preface to the fourth edition Introduction A very small place in Africa Globalization PART I: Archaic globalization: before 1600 ce Chapter 1: The global setting for Niumi’s history: early archaic globalization Western Europe’s strengthening connections West Africa’s strengthening connections Chapter 2: Niumi during early archaic globalization: before 1450 ce The physical setting The cultural setting Niumi’s early residents, their commercial milieu, and the Niumi state Chapter 3: Niumi during late-archaic globalization, 1450–1600: waxing Atlantic trade, enduring Sudanic trade Western Europe and the rise of the Atlantic plantation complex Early Atlantic trade and political change in Niumi Trade diasporas and new identities New ways of life PART II: Proto-globalization: 1600–1800 Chapter 4: Niumi during proto-globalization: the height of the Atlantic complex Niumi’s expanding world The Niumi polity A wider world at home The changing nature of dependence PART III: Modern globalization: 1800–1950s Chapter 5: Niumi in a time of transition: 1816–1897 Revolutionary change in the West Islam’s militant strain Weakening of the Niumi state New systems of production and exchange: the peanut revolution The Soninke-Marabout Wars Formal British takeover A deepening dependence Chapter 6: Niumi as part of the Gambia Colony and Protectorate: 1897–1965 The unsettled twentieth-century world Establishment of colonial rule The world of peanuts Development A quiet broadening and deepening of Islam Niumi in a world at war Postwar malaise Toward independence PART IV Post-colonial globalization, 1950s– Chapter 7: Independent Niumi in the First Republic of The Gambia: 1965–1994 Mid-twentieth century global realities New rulers, old rules A chance encounter with world history and a boost for tourism: Roots Modernization? Chapter 8: Niumi in the recent wave of globalization: the Second Republic, 1994–2017 Globalization’s newest wave Soldier to statesman to tyrant Is globalization good for the world’s poor? Niumi as case study The presidential election of 2016 Epilogue, 2017: #Gambia HAS Decided Bibliography Archives and libraries Dissertations and manuscripts Online sources Interviews Newspapers and periodicals (print and online) Books and articles Index This fascinating work shows how global events have affected life in Niumi, a small region in the Gambia, for over a thousand years. Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition remains an essential resource for students and scholars of African history, paticularly those interested in the impact of globalization on the lives of real people.