Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In Mande Potters and Leatherworkers, Barbara E. Frank explores the complex, shifting relationships among the identities of Mande craftspeople, the objects they create, and the technologies they use. She examines their role in the rise and fall of empires, the development of trans-Sahara trade networks, and the spread of Islam, questioning the one tribe, one style interpretations that have dominated studies of West African art.
About the Author
Barbara E. Frank is an associate professor of art history at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is the coeditor of Status and Identity in West Africa: Nyamaka-law of Mande (1995).