Rulers Of Empire The French Colonial Service In Africa 1880 1960

Drawing on primary, secondary, and contemporary sources to analyze the role of the public service in the process of nation building in post-colonial Africa, this book addresses the problem of human resources administration in the continent, using the Cameroonian public service as a classic case study.

These essays explain French identity as a fluid process rather than a category into which French citizens (and immigrants) are expected to fit. They offer examples drawn from an imperial history of France that show the power of the periphery to shape diverse and dynamic modern French identities at its centre.

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Harry Gamble examines the controversies of political and educational reform in French West Africa from the early to mid-twentieth century.

John H. Hanson's pathbreaking study revises late-nineteenth-century colonialist assumptions about a West African Muslim social movement. Using indigenous Arabic manuscripts, travel narratives, and oral materials, Hanson assesses the meaning of a series of revolts against Islamic authority. The book investigates three political crises that took place at Nioro, a town in the region of Karta in the upper Senegal River valley, conquered during a military jihad or "holy war" by Shaykh Umar Tal. Although Umar and his successors steadfastly promoted jihad, Futanke colonists, defying their leaders, opted to remain settled on the lands they had seized; instead of going to war, the colonists devoted themselves to production of foodstuffs for sale in an increasingly vital regional economy. Incisive analysis of charismatic authority and its limits, as demonstrated by Umar and his son Amadu Sheku, illuminates patterns in the unfolding relations between leaders and followers.