Africans and “nations” in the slave trade through parish registers: preliminary notes for comparative perspectives on Brazil and Cuba in the seventeenth century

Africanos e “nações” do tráfico de escravos através de registros paroquiais: notas preliminares de perspectivas comparativas entre Brasil e Cuba no século XVII

Africanos y “naciones” de la trata de esclavos a través de los registros parroquiales: notas preliminares de perspectivas comparativas entre Brasil y Cuba en el siglo XVII

Les Africains et les « nations » de la traite négrière à travers les registres paroissiaux : notes préliminaires à des perspectives comparatives entre le Brésil et Cuba au XVIIème siècle

Abstract

In this paper, we compare classification patterns for African “nations” in some parts of Brazil and Cuba. Taking into consideration some montage areas of the slave economy in the seventeenth century, we evaluate how African “nations” could appear in demographic contexts and their relationships with the slave trade and connections with Africa. Following some perspectives of Atlantic history, the main idea is take a comparative approach to the formation of Africans’ identities, classifications and social structures in the Americas.

Keywords:
Cuba; Brazil; parish registers; Africans; 17th century