Université de Strasbourg

Tchamba Vodun

In Remembrance of Slavery: Tchamba Vodun in Togo (West Africa)

USIAS Fellow: Dana Rush

This project, In Remembrance of Slavery: Tchamba Vodun in Togo, is the first comprehensive study of slavery remembrance in Togo. Working at the intersections of African and Atlantic histories, slave trade studies, oral and spiritual histories, ethnography, music, and arts, the project's academic contributions will impact historiographical and methodological trends in the growing research domain of domestic slavery. The project engages in emerging shifts in studies of the history of African slavery, adds to the growing body of research on domestic slavery, and links domestic and overseas trades particularly in terms of African involvement. It also unearths overlooked dimensions of slavery, especially women’s perspectives and living histories. Methodologically, it introduces alternative approaches. The extensive use of oral histories helps advance the practice and use of oral/video history. The incorporation of visual arts, songs, and Vodun religious performance as repositories of slave trade histories in conjunction with chronicled history is unprecedented.  Spoken, sung, and performed histories along with venerated Vodun objects and paintings will be given space as valid forms historical evidence.

 

 

France 2030