Abstract
The history of European colonial trade, often presented as a history of conquest or exploration, takes sea voyages as its starting point. The notion of exploration, which implies an idea of conquest, courage and success for some groups of people, also conjures up images of subjugation and pain for others. These two dimensions are not mutually exclusive, yet they have been at the heart of bitter disputes over the alleged benefits of colonization. Delving into the stories of the men and women who inhabited the port cities highlights the gap between the grand narratives of conquest and the everyday stories of people of African and European descent trying to survive the hardships of life in these ports. The presentation will also look at the construction of historical narrative and how stories are told that integrate cultural practices, family histories (using oral sources), artifacts or ritual objects and archival sources. This conference aims to explore inclusive readings of historical material. To do so, it will take the cities of Amsterdam, Port-Louis, Bristol and Luanda as examples.
