Migration

A key concept in pre-1900s Africa is migration. Yet this generic label elides the more expansive history embedded in this key concept entangled with issues of the spiritual, political, economic, and social as people inhabited new spaces. Migration is importantly a portal into critical historical topics that range from cross cultural interactions, technological innovations, and the spread of ideas. This paper raises questions about migration as a key, though fraught, concept in pre-1900s Africa as well as its Atlantic world Diaspora. The aim is to encourage discussion and analysis of migration that moves beyond it as mundane and expected.