Brown Rice thesis

History of rice in Africa

• Rice cultivation in Africa dates back thounds of years, with Oryza glaberrime (African rice) domesticated in the inland delta of the Niger River around 1500 BCE

• African rice developed independently of Oryza sativa (Asian rice), which was later introduced through trade and colonization

• African societies had extensive knowledge of rice farming, irrigation, soil management, and harvesting techniques before European involvement

Cultural regions

• The master rice producers prior to the 18th century were Black

  • From Upper Guinea (Mandinka, Brame, Balanta, Bijago)

• Upper Guinea Rice grown in uplands (little labor) and lowlands (technological sophistication, labor intensive)

• 1600-1700 upland rice in South Carolina and Georgia (Angolan majority)

• 1750 onwards Tidal floodplain system (Upper Guinea majority)

• Increase in sophistication as more Senegambians or Upper Guineans arrived

Black Rice thesis via Judith Carney

• Upper Guineans/Senegambians had rice-growing skills that were transferred to South Carolina, Georgia, Maranahao, and Brazil

• Method: “geographical perspective focused on culture, technology, and environment”

• Also, looking at parallel techniques of production, processing, and cooking in Africa and the Americas

Counter thesis (Eltis et al.)

• Africans shipped to South Carolina, Georgia, and Amazonia had no such skills since they were not from the Upper Guinea

• Rice was grown through planter power, Atlantic economy since Africans had only basic farming skills

• If anything, Africans had a subaltern role, which should acknowledge where it is attested

• Skills as a bargaining chip for better labor conditions

• Planters willing to pay a premium for Upper Guinea Women, and Upper Guinea increase is not a reflection of planter reference

Brown Rice thesis by Hawthorne (time period and location)

• Challenges the Black Rice thesis by arguing that Asian rice (Oryza sativa), not African rice (Oryza glaberrima), was more commonly cultivated in the Americas

• African agricultural expertise remained essential, shaping rice cultivation through knowledge of irrigation, planting, and harvesting

• Rice farming in the Americas was a hybrid system, blending African, European, and Indigenous influences, rather than a direct transfer of African methods

• Enslaved Africans adapted to new conditions, contributing techniques rather than solely transplanting African rice-growing traditions

• Impact: refines understanding of African influence, showing it was indirect and integrated into broader agricultural systems rather than solely responsible for rice cultivation