Maritime Culture and Everyday Life in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-CenturyCoastal Ghana

Kwaku Nti is Associate Professor of History at Georgia Southern University. His research interests include lived experiences of colonial southern Ghana, the African diaspora (historic and contemporary), the processes and pathways of globalization in world history.

Acknowledgments Note on Orthography Introduction 1. Settlement and Nascent Society: From Earliest Times to the Nineteenth Century 2. Ebusua and Asafo Systems: Gender, Complementarity, and Conflict among the Fanti 3. Coastal Communities, Inter-Group Wrangling, and Aspects of the Colonial Experience: Historical Undercurrents 4. Art, Symbol, and the Written Word: The Audacity, Dignity, and Sovereignty of Private Property Ownership 5. "Hn-ara Hn A-saa-se Nyi": Land in Everyday Life, Colonial Policy, and Indigenous Resistance 6. The Politics of Modernization and Clash of Official and Indigenous Interests: Judiciary, Military, and Urbanization 7. "We Won't Cooperate": Legislative Council Elections, 1932 Conflict, and Frustration of Colonial Authority Conclusion Bibliography Index

"This book provides an in-depth study of maritime culture as well as everyday life in 19th and 20th century coastal Ghana, with an emphasis on the social history of Cape Coast. Kwaku Nti, its author, deserves high commendation for his meticulous research and laser-sharp analysis."-A.B. Assensoh, Emeritus Professor, Indiana University "Maritime Culture and Everyday Life in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Coastal Ghana puts Ghanaian fisherfolk, gender-based organizations, and traders front and center in the making of a 'colonial' city. Trying to explain to students how to mine colonial documents and read between the lines for African ideas, frames of reference, goals, and agency? Teach this book. It is a stunning model."-Laura Fair, Columbia University "Maritime Culture and Everyday Life in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Coastal Ghana, Kwaku Nti makes an important contribution to the social history of indigenous African institutions and figures, and the conflicts and compromises brokered between them and British imperialists on Africa's Gold Coast/Ghana. Using the optics of Cape Coast, broader historical patterns are insightfully revealed."-Kwasi Konadu, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Endowed Chair, Colgate University "Maritime Culture and Everyday Life in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Coastal Ghana is a well-written, engaging, compelling book that brilliantly centers Akan people in the telling of their history. Kwaku Nti's use of Akan sources, coupled with his skillful reading of European sources through an Akan lens, opens new vistas for considering Africans' historical experiences. A must read for Africanists and maritime historians, alike."-Kevin Dawson, University of California, Merced