GLC@Lunch: Michael Tuck, “The Atlantic Slave Trade and the Cycle of Resistance along the Gambia River in the 18th Century”

African resistance to enslavement and slavery happened more frequently along the Gambia River than in other parts of West Africa. My research explains why, proposing that a distinctive culture of resistance to slavery developed in the Gambia River region by the eighteenth century. The resistance culture emerged from strict societal rules determining eligibility for enslavement and safeguards against wrongful enslavement. A strong local commodity trade also gave Africans an alternative to participating in the slave trade and provided them with weapons they could use to defend themselves against enslavement and to react violently when it did occur.