The Gift tells the story of one silver ceremonial sword offered as a gift by French traders to an African agent, and reveals how prestigious gifts shaped the trade of enslaved Africans. This compelling account will interest historians of slavery and material culture.
Ana Lucia Araujo Book order






- 2023
- 2021
Museums and Atlantic Slavery
- 122 pages
- 5 hours of reading
Focusing on representations of slavery, this book examines how museums in Europe and the Americas portray the Atlantic slave trade and the experiences of enslaved individuals. It analyzes the use of language, visual imagery, artifacts, and audiovisual materials to convey complex narratives surrounding this historical atrocity, highlighting the role of museums in shaping public understanding and memory of slavery.
- 2021
No Compromise
- 208 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Florence Knoll (1917–2019) was a leading force of modern design. She worked from 1945 to 1965 at Knoll Associates, first as business partner with her husband Hans Knoll, later as president after his death, and, finally, as design director. Her commissions became hallmarks of the modern era, including the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe, the Diamond Chair by Harry Bertoia, and the Platner Collection by Warren Platner. She created classics like the Parallel Bar Collection, still in production today.Knoll invented the visual language of the modern office through her groundbreaking interiors and the creation of the acclaimed "Knoll look," which remains a standard for interior design today. She reinvigorated the International Style through humanizing textiles, lighting, and accessories. Although Knoll's motto was "no compromise, ever," as a woman in a white, upper-middle-class, male-dominated environment, she often had to make accommodations to gain respect from her colleagues, clients, and collaborators. No Compromise looks at Knoll's extraordinary career in close-up, from her student days to her professional accomplishments.
- 2017
The book explores the enduring struggle for reparations from former slave societies in the Americas, highlighting the historical context and ongoing advocacy since the 18th century. Araujo examines how enslaved and freed individuals articulated their demands through various means, including petitions and narratives. By tracing the evolution of these calls from the era of slavery through emancipation to the present, it sheds light on the complexities and significance of reparations in addressing historical injustices.
- 2016
Discover how to transform mason jars into modern gifts, decorations, storage, and party trimmings, with decoupage, stencil, glitter, paint, light, embellishments, and more.
- 2014
Focusing on the public memory of slavery, this book explores how the Atlantic slave past is commemorated across the Americas, Europe, and Africa. It examines the political struggles of social actors advocating for social justice and the ways in which monuments, memorials, and museums reflect these efforts. Through a transnational and comparative approach, the work investigates the processes of remembering and "heritagizing" slavery in public spaces, shedding light on the ongoing impact of this historical legacy.
- 2013
Shingle Style
- 207 pages
- 8 hours of reading
An exploration of the most important shingle style houses built in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Marin County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- 2010
The book explores how the Atlantic Ocean served as a corridor for ongoing exchanges between Brazil and Benin, despite the disruptions caused by the slave trade. Ana Lucia Araujo highlights the role of transnational movements and the influence of various institutions and individuals in memorializing slavery. She emphasizes the importance of circulating images in fostering cultural, religious, and economic connections, ultimately shaping identities across the South Atlantic. This region is portrayed as a dynamic space where African, European, and Amerindian identities intertwine.