Hello All,


I'm organizing a panel for SHA 2006. Please respond off list if you are
interested. Thanks,
Terry Weik






Collaboration and Resistance on the Edge of Slave and Colonial
Societies.



People of African descent and their collaborators wore holes in the
edges of racial, political, and cultural borders that demarcated
slaveholding and colonial societies.  In so doing, people joined
short-lived and long-term networks that fostered various forms of
resistance.  "Self-emancipated Africans" or "Maroons," and passengers on
the "Underground Railroad"  found freedom in different territories and
towns.   Many failed to successfully challenge their oppressors, and
suffered cruel punishments or execution.  The newest phase of research
on African global resistance brings to archaeological discourses data
and theories that can be explored to understand how people overcame
numerous obstacles and devastating circumstances.  In what ways were
cultural beliefs, behaviors, and materials employed to weaken and
transgress the edges of exploitation systems?   Because rebellion and
escape occurred wherever slavery and racial oppression existed,
slaveholders and government officials were often on edge.  However, the
outrage of some proponents of slavery and white supremacy did not
prevent others from forming working relationships with people who had
fought against bondage.  Tensions also developed between rebels and
their allies within networks of freedom.   Thus, it is important to
closely analyze strategies that allowed people to find freedom and
autonomy by cooperating across political, linguistic, cultural, and
international boundaries.