Description: African civil servants in the colonial era--working as intermediaries among European colonial officials, African chiefs, and subject populations--were able to manipulate the intersections of power, authority, and knowledge at the center of colonial society. These essays explore the role of African civil servants in the construction, function, and legal apparatus of colonial states and offer new insights on hegemony, resistance, language, and education.
Brief description:
Benjamin N. Lawrance is Professor of African History at the University of Arizona.
Review Quotes: "This volume . . . sets an agenda for a new and nuanced understanding of how Africans figured in the making of colonial Africa. . . . These studies not only establish the agency of African intermediaries but also narrate, assess, and contextualize it."--Philip S. Zachernuk, African Studies Review