Norton, J. Susannah papers, 1940-1997 | Amistad Research Center

The collection consists of research materials Dr. Norton developed during trips to the West Indies, Ghana, and while working on her thesis at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.  The collection is rich with documentation on languages, folklore, and music from the Caribbean and West Africa.  Research materials regarding African American dialects and language are also extensively covered in the collection.  Slides from her trips to Ghana and the Caribbean (West Indies) can be found in box 6.  Course materials and research notes are found throughout the collection. Audiocassettes and reels containing over 92 hours of dialect, folklore and folk song recordings from Africa and the Caribbean are located in box 2 and 7.  Lastly, an extensive book collection is included in the donation.

Art from Haiti, carved in 1956, includes 7 wooden masks and other pieces, which will be stored with the art collection.  Boxes 9-15 have smaller pieces of art to be moved to art storage by the Amistad Research Center’s Art Curator.