ABSTRACT

Sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest region in the world. But its current status has skewed our understanding of the economy before colonization. Rönnbäck reconstructs the living standards of the population at a time when the Atlantic slave trade brought money and men into the area, enriching our understanding of West African economic development.

chapter 1|16 pages

Introduction: theory and method

chapter 3|24 pages

Sources and source criticism

chapter 4|20 pages

Work ethic and the division of labour

chapter 5|24 pages

Work and wages at the Cape Coast Castle

chapter 6|24 pages

Domestic markets for goods

chapter 7|18 pages

Housing and material wealth

chapter 9|6 pages

Concluding discussion