To Be Nsala′s Daughter

“The originality in Chérie N. Rivers’s approach lies in her excavation of the intangible systems of control that coloniality leaves behind through the subjectivity of individuals. She focuses on the fabric of consent to alienation and violence while questioning how perceptions are conditioned to hide the violence that occurs in plain sight. By restoring the ability to see and avoiding the reproduction of colonial structures in our practices, subjectivities, and imaginaries, Rivers refuses to replicate colonial hegemonies of knowing. The meanings she seeks from language are maps of possibilities.” - Felwine Sarr, author of Afrotopia

“In this ambitious investigation into the colonial archive, Chérie N. Rivers offers a meditation on the meaning of archive, its violences and reproductions, and a way to contemplate the relationship between the history of empire and the history of photographic reproduction. An elegantly circuitous and pointedly flowing construction of self and other that any interaction with empire necessitates, To Be Nsala’s Daughter illustrates the stakes of rendering yourself visible, even if it is in the service of reclaiming histories lost, stolen, or submerged.” - Kimberly Juanita Brown, author of The Repeating Body: Slavery’s Visual Resonance in the Contemporary

"To Be Nsala’s Daughter is an impressive feat of scholarship, and yet reflects true humility on the part of its creator, as it recognizes that grappling with the cascades, ruptures, and fault lines of cultural geography are always a work in progress. The book . . . makes an excellent companion piece for undergraduate courses on imperialism, African and African American history, and visual culture. In its nuanced, sophisticated assessments of race, systemic violence, and frames of knowledge, the book is a perfect choice for instructors seeking to meaningfully engage with issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, particularly when a transnational approach is desired or required." - Robert A. Saunders, The AAG Review of Books

"The lyrical prose paired with intellectually rigorous theory make To Be Nsala’s Daughter a generative text for anyone working on postcolonial theory, decolonizing methodologies, or grappling with techniques for addressing archival silences and gaps." - Rachel Kabukala, Theatre Journal