HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHIES OF AN ISLAMIC TRADE ROUTE IN WEST AFRICA 

The purpose of this project was to investigate the changing historical patterns among terrestrial, marine, and coastal-based trade along the Black Volta Trade Route in West Africa to estimate the time periods in which one system of trade surpasses that of the other two. Instead of examining these water-societal relationships at a single scale or level however, the research surveys four levels of trade to develop a deeper understanding of how these patterns operate differently depending upon the grain and extent of inquiry. For example, at a macro level, the climatic relationship between the Sahara and the Savanna might deem to be the most significant factor, whereas at the micro level, human experience relative to the lagoon might be the most influential. For this particular investigation, the four levels of trade from largest to smallest include the Route (Trans-boundary Water Systems), the Region (Drainage Basin Systems), the Urban (Coastal Systems), and the Community (Lagoon Systems). These levels of trade are then further sub-divided into three historical periods that correspond roughly to one another, but whose dates differ slightly depending upon the major historical shifts at that particular level. Since the Black Volta Trade Route runs north-south and perpendicular to the coastline, terrestrial and marine-based trade occupies the north-south axis and coastal-based trade approximates the east-west axis. Additionally, the climate becomes much dryer as one moves north towards the Sahara Desert and slightly dryer as one moves east towards the Volta River’s delta. 

Authorship (Academic-MIT): Emily Williamson; under the direction of Professor James Wescoat