AAP is pleased to share the latest episode of Africa Past and Present, featuring a discussion on the histories of West African rice cultivation, exploitation, and freedom seeking in the Atlantic World.

PODCAST: West African Rice and Carolina “Gold”: Histories of Work, Exploitation, and Freedom Seeking in the Atlantic World (Afripod Episode 144)

Episode 144 of Africa Past and Present — the podcast about African history, culture, and politics — is now available at https://afripod.aodl.org/fullPodcast/episode=144/ and on the usual platforms, where you can also subscribe, leave a rating and a comment. In this episode, Edda Fields-Black (Carnegie Mellon University) discusses her personal and professional journey as an historian of West Africa, rice, and the African diaspora. The conversation opens with insights on historical linguistics and fieldwork in Guinea and then turns to her prize-winning book, Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War (Oxford University Press, 2024). Dr. Fields-Black reflects on her personal connection to the freedom seekers in South Carolina, naming enslaved people through archival sources, and how exploitation of "Black rice" inspired a successful quest for freedom.

Africa Past and Present is hosted by Peter Alegi and co-produced by Matrix — Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences — the African Studies Center, and the Department of History at Michigan State University.

Contact Information: Peter Alegi, Professor of History, Michigan State University

Contact Email: alegi@msu.edu

We encourage the AAP community to listen to the episode and share it across their networks to broaden engagement with these important historical perspectives.