Slavery and Colonial Rule in French West Africa (African Studies, Series Number 94)

This Is A History Of Slavery During The 19th And 20th Centuries In 3 Former French Colonies. This Book Investigates The Changing Nature Of Local Slavery, And The Evolving French Attitudes Towards It. Slavery In The Western Sudan -- Abolition And Retreat, Senegal 1848-1876 -- Slavery, Slave-trading And Social Revolution -- Senegal After Brière -- Conquest Of The Sudan: Desbordes To Archinard -- Senegal In The 1890s -- The End Of The Conquest -- The Imposition Of Metropolitan Priorities On Slavery -- With Smoke And Mirrors: Slavery And The Conquest Of Guinea -- The Banamba Exodus -- French Fears And The Limits To An Emancipation Policy -- Looking For The Tracks. How They Did It -- After The War: Renegotiating Social Relations -- A Question Of Honor. Martin A. Klein. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Frontmatter List of illustrations (page x) List of maps (page xi) List of tables (page xii) Preface (page xiii) List of abbreviations (page xvii) Glossary (page xviii) 1 Slavery in the Western Sudan (page 1) 2 Abolition and retreat. Senegal 1848-1876 (page 19) 3 Slavery, slave-trading and social revolution (page 37) 4 Senegal after Briere (page 59) 5 Conquest of the Sudan: Desbordes to Archinard (page 77) 6 Senegal in the 1890s (page 94) 7 The end of the conquest (page 108) 8 The imposition of metropolitan priorities on slavery (page 126) 9 With smoke and mirrors: slavery and the conquest of Guinea (page 141) 10 The Banamba Exodus (page 159) 11 French fears and the limits to an emancipation policy (page 178) 12 Looking for the tracks. How they did it (page 197) 13 After the War: renegotiating social relations (page 216) 14 A question of honor (page 237) Appendixes (page 252) Notes (page 260) Bibliography (page 317) Index (page 347) Martin Klein's book is a history of slaves during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in three former French colonies. It investigates the changing nature of local slavery over time, and the evolving French attitudes towards it, through the phases of trade, conquest and colonial rule. The heart of the study focuses on the period between 1876 and 1922, when a French army composed largely of slave soldiers took massive numbers of slaves in the interior, while in areas near the coast, hesitant actions were taken against slave-raiding, trading and use. After 1900, the French withdrew state support of slavery, and as many as a million slaves left their masters. A second exodus occurred after World War I, when soldiers of slave origin returned home. The renegotiation of relationships between those who remained and their masters carries the story into the contemporary world

Using oral sources, as well as official and missionary archives, Martin Klein describes the history of slavery during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in three former French colonies. He considers the impact of the Atlantic slave trade and the evolution of slavery both before the French and under their rule. While he discusses French policy, the main focus of the book is the constantly changing relationships between slave and master, and the attempts on the part of slaves to seek freedom, or autonomy where they remained in servitude.

Offers a history of slavery during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in three former French colonies.