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The Grain of Sand that Moved the Sea: The Habitants of the Senegambia and the Atlantic World, 1700-1789

Skabelund, Andrew

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
My dissertation examines the coastal habitants of the Senegambia during the era of the Atlantic slave trade. It explores how the habitants, who were descendants of African women and European men, learned to masterfully petition French officials in the metropole and how the habitants created a connection, both perceived and real, to France. What emerged from the habitants’ engagement was a system of patronage, with the habitants providing services to the French and securing protections from the French crown. The habitants came to see themselves as subjects of the king of France, which set the stage for later French conceptions of assimilation—the idea that anyone could become a model French citizen. While many scholars have generally focused on how the ideas of assimilation emanated from French republican ideals, the habitant actions of engaging French officials in the late eighteenth century present a different possibility: assimilation was as much an African innovation as a French one.
James Genova (Advisor)
333 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Skabelund, A. (2017). The Grain of Sand that Moved the Sea: The Habitants of the Senegambia and the Atlantic World, 1700-1789 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500589697415946

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Skabelund, Andrew. The Grain of Sand that Moved the Sea: The Habitants of the Senegambia and the Atlantic World, 1700-1789. 2017. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500589697415946.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Skabelund, Andrew. "The Grain of Sand that Moved the Sea: The Habitants of the Senegambia and the Atlantic World, 1700-1789." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500589697415946

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)