Abina and the Important Men: A Graphic History
"Trevor Getz'sAbina and the Important Menis a tremendous step forward for the world history community."--Journal of World History"This is a universal story of deception and truth that will appeal to anyone who has sought greater independence from the obligations of family, employer, or government."--Abena Dove Osseo-Asare, University of California, Berkeley"The young Abina Mansah lost her 1876 suit for freedom, but her voice still resounds in the transcript of her testimony. From that dusty transcript, Trevor Getz brings her struggle graphically to life. He beautifully surrounds her sad tale with resources showing its links within West Africa and beyond. Through Getz and in the engaging images of Liz Clarke, Abina affirms the mark that each person can make on the world."--Patrick Manning, University of Pittsburgh"Trevor Getz has pushed the envelope of Africanist scholarship. With Abina and the Important Men he offers unique insight into such contentious topics as personhood, gender, slavery, and colonialism. Along the way, he provides teachers and readers with a powerful tool for investigating the process of giving meaning to historical documents and narratives. This is exactly the sort of work that will help African history escape the dark and dusty halls of academia and help make it relevant to a wider audience. This is GENIUS."--Jonathan T. Reynolds, Northern Kentucky University"This is a superb introduction to the way that historians construct the past, to the history of slavery in Africa, and to colonialism. Getz's analysis of how he reads the document and the problems he had in building the narrative displays an ability to contextualize the document, and to read it both with and against the grain."--Martin Klein, University of Toronto"I hope that this book will serve as a model to many historians with compelling stories to tell. To tell our stories in a compelling and unconventional way does not mean that rigorous scholarship needs to be compromised. Rather, it shows that rigorous scholarship can go hand in hand with speaking to multiple audiences."--Heather Streets, Washington State University, Pullman"Getz has crafted a gem, a valuable contribution to African studies and the world history classroom. The book combines a well-informed pedagogy with current historiographical trends. Its multi-layered format delves deeply and lyrically into Abina's world of image and word."--Candice Goucher, Washington State University, Vancouver"This is an important book that takes history into the public domain in a very accessible form."--Journal of African History