Event
Lecture Series- Tracing Lives in Slavery
Fee:
Free.Dates & Times
Date:
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Type of Event
The lecture will be 30-40 minutes with time for questions at the end.
Description
In A Mother’s Name: Analyzing the Possessive-Prefix Name Form in Plantation Records
In this talk, Camee Maddox-Wingfield, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will discuss the important challenge of analyzing possessive-prefix name forms found in plantation records as an approach to understanding and reconstructing kin networks of those historically enslaved at the Ridgely Plantation. Research at the Hampton National Historic Site has presented a unique opportunity to develop a methodology for uncovering mother-child dyads and family relationships when working with partial, discrepant, and/or duplicate names recorded in ledgers, wills, inventories, and other archival records. It has also encouraged a reconsideration of the function of possessive-prefix names beyond mere recordkeeping for what they reveal about the emotional and affective labor of enslaved Black women. This approach allows us to challenge a commonly held assumption that family life under slavery must remain obscure due to the seemingly unreliable nature of incomplete records. By presenting a set of compelling examples from Hampton’s historical family groupings, Maddox-Wingfield will provide insightful commentary on naming traditions, recordkeeping practices, and enslaved women’s reproductive labor under American slavery.
Participation will be limited to the first 100 people that log into Zoom (see information and link below). The event will be recorded and shared at a later date.
Hampton Zoom is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Reservation or Registration: No
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