The business of barter on the pre-colonial Gold Coast

• Trade on the Gold Coast in the eighteenth century was dominated by non-monetized barter trade. In this paper, a large dataset of barter transactions are used to study the social embeddedness of the trade. The data shows that prestige goods such as alcohol to a disproportionate degree were exchanged for other prestige goods such as gold. Guns - but also cheaper types of textiles - were to a disproportionate degree exchanged for slaves in particular. The evidence thus helps to shed light on the social valuation of various imported commodities on the Gold Coast at this time.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Ekonomisk historia (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Economic History (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Barter trade

Africa

pre-colonial

slave trade

guns-for-slaves

western africa

atlantic world

trade

firearms

spheres

import

History

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)