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Acknowledgments To undertake the extended challenge of writing a book is, on one level, a lonely task. But on another level it is a collective undertaking. To gather historical information from archival, published, or oral sources entails a dialogue—with chroniclers long dead, with historians past and present, and with informants. Sharing one’s nascent interpretations with colleagues constitutes another form of dialogue, one quite necessary for refining the work. I have been fortunate to have the assistance and encouragement of many individuals. And I have been blessed—though at the time I might have used another term—with friends and colleagues whose critiques have forced me to rethink and refine the ideas expressed in the pages that follow. Several institutions also offered crucial material support for my research and writing. Wesleyan University is reputed to offer the most generous faculty sabbatical policy this side of paradise. This book is a product of four leaves generously granted by Wesleyan. I am grateful, too, for five Wesleyan Project Grants that have enabled me to return to Senegal on a regular basis. I can only hope that this book begins to justify such generosity on the part of my home institution. The National Endowment for the Humanities supported a semester’s research and travel. I gratefully acknowledge this support. In Senegal, technical assistance was provided by Forutsen and housing by CODESRIA. The West African Research Center (WARC) and the History Department of the University of Dakar both offered opportunities to share my ideas in seminars with Senegalese students and colleagues. In Bamako, Mali, I was welcomed at Point Sud and there benefited from the scintillating intellectual atmosphere. In Frankfurt am Main, the Frobenius-Institut afforded access to their excellent library and kindly allowed me to publish several drawings from their archives. The Basel Mission kindly made available their extensive photographic archives. Challenging debate was provided by my colleagues at the Leiden University African Studies Center , the Université Paris-7, the Centre de Recherches Africaines (Universit é-Paris I), and the Mande Studies Association. In the Casamance, I have enjoyed the friendship of Dr. Bakary Sane for many years and have greatly benefited from his profound knowledge of Jola (Diola) history and culture. Together, we have traveled across the region. More than once, during the all-too-frequent outbreaks of violence that have tortured this most beautiful land, his reassuring presence has given me the strength to carry on field work. In Fogny, Fiacre Badji has given freely of his hospitality, and in the community of Thionk-Essyl, I am beholden, as ever, to my friend of twenty-five years, chef of Batine ward, Abba Badji. I am also indebted to my hosts, the family of Mamadou “Songo” Djiba. At the University of Dakar, Ibrahima Thioub and Boubacar Barry have offered their historical insight and, more than once, a place to stay. The Archives Nationales du Sénégal have been an essential resource. I offer my sincere thanks to the director, Saliou Mbaye, and to Mamadou Ndiaye. Finally, on Gorée, that magical island that transcends time, Lulu Lapolice has provided friendly advice and a place to call home. Many colleagues offered their time and professional expertise to read and critique parts of the manuscript. I wish to express special thanks to Mamadou Diawara for his painstaking assessment of Chapters 1–3. Tom Spear worked tirelessly to help me improve a version of Chapter 1 that was subsequently published in The Journal of African History. David Robinson also read that chapter with the same care he once took reading my graduate school essays nearly thirty years ago. Catherine CoqueryVidrovitch , the late P. E. H. Hair (the expert on early Portuguese sources), Jan Vansina, and Jean Boulègue all suggested important bibliographical additions and conceptual revisions. I am deeply grateful for their assistance . Long conversations with José da Silva Horta gave me the beginnings of an understanding of the relationship of color and identity in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Portugal and the Cape Verde Islands. Don Wright, friend since our paths first crossed in Senegal in 1975, read several chapters; his insightful work on oral traditions first inspired me to study the history of the “Portuguese” in the Gambia. Walter Hawthorne and Joshua Forrest kindly made available their work in progress, followed by stimulating discussions that have increased my understanding of Guinea-Bissau’s early history. Michelle Gilbert helped me to a deeper appreciation of the social symbolism of architectural form. Clark Maines and...

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