The Research Unit comprises two different sub-projects:

• Nineteenth-Century “Trade Guns” in the Congo Estuary. Local Refractions of a Global Trade: This sub-project examines the production and circulation of trade guns in the Lower Congo, a topic largely overlooked in historiography. The diversity of models documented in existing gun-maker catalogues, along with practices such as the addition of specific decorations and logos, suggests that European manufacturers made considerable efforts to accommodate the evolving preferences of African consumers. Consequently, this sub-project will investigate the reasons behind the sustained preference for “trade guns” among the African communities in the Congo estuary and will provide a deeper understanding of the external engagements of this under-researched region of the west-central African coast. Ultimately, it will demonstrate that developments in the Congo estuary mirrored broader dynamics within the European gun industry;

• Legitimate Trade in Central Africa. The Role of French Trading Houses in the Congo: This sub-project will analyse three distinct phases that characterized a French chapter in the pre-colonial history of the Congo: the slave trade, driven by Maison Régis; the legitimate trade, managed by agents of Maison Daumas; and the onset of Belgian colonialism, which coincided with the decline of Maison Daumas’ activities. By exploring these case studies, this research will illuminate the circulation of various items during the pre-colonial period and elucidate the role played by French trading houses in the development of a global trade. 

The research requires the acquisition of records from English, French and Belgian archives, such as the National Archives in London; the Archives Nationales, the Service Historique de la Défense, the Archives nationales d’outre-mer, and the Centre des Archives diplomatiques du ministère des Affaires étrangères in Paris; the Archives de l’État in Bruxelles.

Image by Giacomo Macola