Governing through Objects, a talk by Dr. Cheikh Sene

Material Culture in the Atlantic Slave Trade in West Africa

A talk by Dr. Cheikh Sene

This presentation examines the role of material objects in shaping the economic and social dynamics of Senegambia during the Atlantic slave trade from the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries. It adopts an economic and cultural approach to highlight the region’s early integration into global circuits of exchange, articulated through both Atlantic and trans-Saharan networks. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, the presentation analyzes the circulation of trade goods — such as textiles, beads, coral, iron, firearms, and cowrie shells — across Europe, North Africa, Asia, and West Africa.

Sene argues that these objects functioned simultaneously as commodities and monetary instruments within African trading systems, challenging interpretations that attribute monetization in Senegambia solely to European influence. Instead, the presentation emphasizes the long-standing existence of complex local systems of exchange and valuation. Beyond their economic function, these objects also carried strong social, political, and symbolic meanings, actively shaping forms of authority, consumption practices, and the material culture of African elites.

Sponsored by
UCLA African Studies Center

Co-sponsored by
UCLA History Department Black Atlantic Colloquium

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Published: Friday, May 8, 2026