Undercurrents of power: aquatic culture in the African diaspora

Introduction : waterscapes of the African diaspora

Part I. Swimming culture. Atlantic African aquatic cultures : a cross-cultural comparison

Cultural meanings of recreational swimming and surfing

Aquatic sports and performance rituals : gender, bravery, and honor

History from below : enslaved underwater divers

Undercurrents of power : challenging racial hierarchies from below

Part II. Canoe culture. African canoe-makers : constructing floating cultures

Mountains divide and rivers unite : Atlantic African canoemen

Maritime continuities : African canoes on new world waters

The floating economies of slaves and slaveholders

Sacred vessels, sacred waters : the cultural meanings of dugout canoes

A world afloat : mobile slave communities

The watermen's song : canoemen's aural waterscapes

Conclusion : a sea change in Atlantic history

Epilogue