The wreck of the São José Paquete d’África, unlocking Hidden Histories: Archaeology as Protagonist

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Uncovering of the World of the São José Paquete d’África, a Portuguese Slave Ship", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Wrecking of the São José Paquete d’África on the Cape coast in December 1794 was not seen as different from any other shipwreck at the time. History only recorded the basic details of the incident relegating it to no more than a footnote. In the 1980’s treasure hunters misidentified the wreck further burying the narrative. This changed with the identification of the wreck as the São José Paquete d’África by the Slave Wrecks Project. The story of this shipwreck has inspired a plethora of responses from media, artists, museum exhibitions as well as public interest groups. This paper will discuss some of the reactions to the unveiling of the wreck’s identity and juxtapose it against the background of the ongoing archaeological research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Uncovering of the World of the São José Paquete d’África, a Portuguese Slave Ship   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow