Identifying a Luso-African Slaver in Cape Town: An Overview of the Archaeological and Archival Evidence for the São Josè Paquete d’Afrique

Summary

In December of 1794 the São Josè Paquete d’Afrique foundered off of Capetown while transporting nearly five hundred slaves from Mozambique who were destined for northeastern Brazil, resulting in the death of over two hundred souls. This presentation reports on how ongoing archaeological work on site combined with archival work in Africa, Europe, and South America have enabled identification of the shipwreck. It reflects on some of the insights research about this event is providing about the slave trade as a complex global endeavour at a critical juncture when East Africa was being brought into the Transatlantic system. We also discuss how both our research paradigm and the process of engagement with stakeholder communities has evolved to reflect and encompass both the global scope and different local relevancies of this story, and outline some of the future directions this investigation will take as a result. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Maritime Archaeology of The Slave Trade: Perspectives, Prospects, and Reports from the Slave Wrecks Project   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 877