Way of Death: Merchant Capitalism and the Angolan Slave Trade, 1730-1830 Book

An intricate and internally consistent explanation of the development and effects of the slave trade in Angola; in fact, the explanation is so neat that one begins to doubt whether it could possibly be true. For instance, Miller discusses African, Luso-African, expatriate, and Brazilian merchants in separate chapters, assigning a different set of motivations, disadvantages, and spheres of operations to each group (chapters 6-10). It is difficult to believe that these categories were in fact so distinct, or that the activities of individual members of each group corresponded closely to the paradigm Miller lays out. The book reminded me of Genovese's Roll, Jordan, Roll, which posited a similarly compelling explanation of American slavery that seemed more like a structure imposed on the facts rather than one that arose from them.

Nevertheless valuable, insightful, and a cornerstone of the field of West African history.