Brazil LAB Academic Research Manager Miqueias Mugge has co-edited a new book Africanos Minas-Nagôs no Rio Grande do Sul [Mina-Nagô Africans in Rio Grande do Sul] (Oikos, 2024), examining the historical presence of West Africans in the southern Brazil and their enduring legacy.

Mugge and his co-author, historian Marcelo Matheus, introduced the book to a large public on August 4 at the Public Library of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The event was organized by the Brazilian Historical Association (ANPUH).

Through a detailed exploration of local judicial and administrative archives, the book reveals how West Africans, many of whom were enslaved, played a critical role in shaping the region’s social and economic structures from the 18th to the 20th century. It also delves into their creative ways of resisting enslavement, preserving and recreating cultural and religious traditions, and their ongoing fight for freedom and recognition.

Bringing together leading historians from Brazil and the United States, the book challenges long-held narratives about the southern frontiers, presenting a more nuanced understanding of its multicultural roots. The research and book are an outcome of the Brazil LAB's Racialized Frontiers research hub.

Praise for Africanos Minas-Nagôs no Rio Grande do Sul:
“In this precious edition, distinguished historians provide detailed studies based on invaluable sources, illuminating the connections between Rio Grande do Sul, the Gulf of Benin, Bahia, and Rio de Janeiro from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The chapters in this book highlight the various nuances of the individual and collective trajectories of Africans known ‘mina’ in a region where slavery was as brutal and violent as in other parts of the country. Africanos Minas-Nagôs no Rio Grande do Sul becomes essential reading for anyone seeking a more comprehensive understanding of the slave trade to and within Brazil.”
–– Ana Lucia Araujo, Howard University