Gullah culture in America

About this episode

Dr. Eric Crawford discusses Gullah culture and the updates made to Wilbur Cross' book on the subject.

The book, Gullah Culture in America (Blair Publishing), chronicles the history and culture of the Gullah people, African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of the American South. Written by Wilbur Cross in 2008, it chronicles the arrival of enslaved West Africans to the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia; the melding of their African cultures, which created distinct creole language, cuisine, traditions, and arts; and the establishment of the Penn School, dedicated to education and support of the Gullah freedmen following the Civil War.Dr. Eric Crawford, editor, of the book’s second edition (2022), is a Gullah Geechee scholar and Associate Professor of Musicology at Claflin University in Orangeburg. He joins us to talk about Gullah culture and about updating the late Dr. Cross’ book.This is an encore presentation from September 29, 2023.

People in this episode

Guest: Dr Eric Crawford

Topics covered

• Gullah culture
• African American history
• Lowcountry
• creole language
• traditions
• arts

Keywords

• Gullah Geechee
• Penn School
• Wilbur Cross
• musicology

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Gullah Culture in America

Books & works: Gullah Culture in America

Places: America, Lowcountry, the American South, South Carolina, Georgia, Orangeburg

More episodes of Walter Edgar's Journal

• Liberty is sweet: The hidden history of the American Revolution · April 17, 2026 · 47 min
• Mary Whyte: An artist's life · April 3, 2026 · 30 min
• Exploring "South Carolina from A to Z" - In depth,  redux · March 20, 2026 · 27 min
• “South Carolina from A to Z” in depth · March 6, 2026 · 36 min
• The Father of American Opera: Carlisle Floyd at 100 · February 20, 2026 · 44 min
• Victoria Benton Frank: Making a new path while walking with grief · February 6, 2026 · 26 min