Review: Portrait of an Island: The Architecture and Material Culture of Gorée, Sénégal, 1758–1837, by Mark Hinchman

Although the island of Gorée is a small speck of land situated in the harbor of Dakar, it has nonetheless garnered attention as one of the most visited attractions in modern Senegal. Each year, thousands of tourists descend upon Gorée in an attempt to learn more about a site that some have described as a preeminent slave trading port. Contrary to popular legend, however, scholarly research has revealed that the number of slaves who passed through this town in the early modern period topped off in the low thousands, and not in the millions as local guides often claim. Nevertheless, the island remains a crucial site for understanding...