Équipage de traite : les motivations des hommes.

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The presentation provides valuable insights into the composition and motivations of slave trade crews, based on a substantial database. The argumentation is structured around three clear research questions, and the findings are presented with specific examples and percentages. However, the talk is more descriptive than analytical, and the speaker often digresses into personal anecdotes and methodological reflections. The evidence is convincing but not systematically presented, and the speaker acknowledges limitations, such as incomplete sources for some ports.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The speaker demonstrates scientific rigor by grounding his work in archival sources, such as crew registers and matriculation records, and by referencing his own publications and collaborative projects. However, he does not provide specific citations or URLs during the talk, relying on general references to his work and that of other historians. The title accurately reflects the content, focusing on the motivations and profiles of crew members. The talk is well-structured but lacks a formal bibliography, which limits its utility for verification.

The title accurately reflects the content, focusing on the motivations and profiles of slave trade crew members.

7/10

The speaker is a historian with extensive experience in prosopography and database construction, and the talk is based on a specific database of 6700 crew members. However, the presentation is largely anecdotal and lacks detailed methodological transparency or direct citations to sources.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction and presentation of the speaker's background with databases.
• 03:00Description of the 'Normandie esclavage' database and its scope.
• 07:00Discussion of the three research problems: bottom-up history, regional scale, and demographic challenge.
• 15:00Presentation of results on the low proportion of local sailors and recruitment from other ports.
• 25:00Analysis of the evolution of recruitment pools over time, with emphasis on Honfleur and Rouen.
• 35:00Discussion of the use of the database for qualitative studies, including the 'Alligator' case.
• 45:00Conclusion and final remarks on the importance of combining quantitative and qualitative approaches.

• Normandie esclavage (programme régional) — Mentioned as the framework for the database construction.
• Base Simarconet — Mentioned as a database of maritime registrations for the Cotentin region.
• Les ports normands dans la traite atlantique (ouvrage dirigé par Eric Saunier) — Referenced as a publication presenting results of the research.

• Slave Voyages Database — Provides comparable data on slave trade voyages, supporting the regional patterns discussed.

• Critiques of quantitative approaches in history — Some historians argue that quantitative databases may overlook individual experiences, a point the speaker acknowledges but does not fully address.