Child Slavery and Guardianship in Colonial Senegal

Uncovers the stories of children liberated from slavery in Senegal after 1848 and relegated to tutelle or guardianship.

Bernard Moitt (Author)

9781009296465, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 22 May 2025

250 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.367 kg

'As the first book-length study of this much-neglected aspect of colonialism, this work makes an important contribution to the field. Highly recommended.' E. S. Schmidt, CHOICE

In the immediate aftermath of the French abolition of slavery in 1848, many previously enslaved children suddenly became wards of the colonial state. The colonial administration in Senegal created an institution called tutelle, a form of guardianship or wardship, that aimed both to prevent the loss of labor from liberated minors and to safeguard the children's welfare. Drawing from extensive archival research, Bernard Moitt uncovers the stories of these liberated children who were entrusted to Africans, Europeans, institutions like orphanages, Catholic orders and the military, and, often, their former owners. While the literature on servitude in French West Africa has primarily focused on the period before 1848, Moitt demonstrates that tutelle allowed slavery to persist under another name, with children continuing to be subject to the same widespread labor exploitation and abuse. Using a range of rich case studies, this book offers new insights into the emancipation of enslaved people in Senegal, the tenacity of servility, and children's agency.

Introduction
1. Urban Senegal in the second half of the nineteenth century
2. Evolution of tutelle
3. Adoption of minors and state control of tutelle
4. Legislating guardianship, 1848–1900
5. Juvenile labor
6. The crisis of 1903–1904
7. Minors in institutions
8. Marriage, life, death and abuse
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: African history [HBJH]