Leisure and Society in Colonial Brazzaville (African Studies, Series Number 87)

In this book, Phyllis Martin, a well-known Africanist scholar, opens up a whole new field of African research: the leisure activities of urban Africans. Her comprehensive study, set in colonial Brazzaville and based on a wide variety of written sources and interviews, investigates recreational activities from football and fashion to music, dance and night life. In it, she brings out the ways in which these activities built social networks, humanised daily life and forged new identities, and explains how they ultimately helped to remake older traditions and values with new cultural forms. Frontmatter List of plates (page x) List of maps (page xi) List of tables (page xii) Acknowledgements (page xiii) List of abbreviations (page xv) Introduction (page 1) 1 An African crossroads, a frontier post and a colonial town, c. 1880-1915 (page 12) 2 Taking hold of the town, c. 1915-1960 (page 45) 3 The emergence of leisure (page 71) 4 Football is king (page 99) 5 About the town (page 127) 6 Dressing well (page 154) 7 High society (page 173) Conclusion (page 198) Notes (page 201) Bibliography (page 248) Index (page 273) 1. An African Crossroads, A Frontier Post And A Colonial Town, C. 1880-1915 -- 2. Taking Hold Of The Town, C. 1915-1960 -- 3. The Emergence Of Leisure -- 4. Football Is King -- 5. About The Town -- 6. Dressing Well -- 7. High Society. Phyllis M. Martin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.