Transformation and Resistance: African Diaspora Archaeology in Brazil

ABSTRACT

This article addresses the development of the archaeology of the African diasporas in Brazil over the last 40 years. This study begins by characterizing the field of African diaspora studies, followed by an overview of enslavement of Africans in the country, detailing the multiple origins of the enslaved people. Next it presents the main issues and contexts that have been addressed in the archaeological scholarship.

KEYWORDS:

• African diaspora
• Brazil
• slave quarters
• maroons
• urban slavery
• material culture
• quilombos
• creolization
• religiosity

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for the critical remarks on the first draft of this article and to the CNPq (The Nacional Council for the Development of Science and Technology) for supporting our research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), a foundation linked to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT), to support Brazilian research.

Notes on contributors

Lucio Menezes Ferreira

Lucio Menezes Ferreira holds a PhD in Cultural History from Campinas State University (UNICAMP). His primary research falls within African diaspora archaeology focused on beef jerky plantations, community research with Afro-Brazilian communities, and Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage. He is Associate Professor of Archaeology at the Federal University of Pelotas, in Rio Grande do Sul, and Professor at the Graduate Program in Archaeology, Museu Nacional, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Luis Symanski

Luis Symanski holds a PhD in Anthropology from University of Florida. His primary research focuses on the materiality of the African diasporic populations, particularly on sugar and coffee plantations from Western and Southeastern Brazil. He is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.