Conflicts of Colonialism
The Rule of Law, French Soudan, and Faama Mademba Sèye

Using the life of an African clerk who became a king under French colonial rule, this book illuminates conflicts over colonial policies and the application of competing rules of law.

Richard L. Roberts (Author)

9781009098045, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 24 February 2022

288 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.5 cm, 0.67 kg

'An astonishing book. Richard L. Roberts is confirmed as a major master, not just of African history but also of the historian's craft in bringing to life what generations of historians always dreamt of, a 'king's' life scattered among thousands of archival documents. A masterpiece.' Alessandro Stanziani, EHESS

Based around the life of Mademba Sèye, an African born in the colonial town of Saint Louis du Sénégal in 1852, who transformed himself with the help of his French patrons from a telegraph clerk into an African king, this book examines Mademba's life and career to reveal how colonialism in French West Africa was articulated differently at different times and how Mademba survived these changes by periodically reinventing himself. Investigating Mademba's alleged abuses of power and crimes that pitted French colonial indirect rule policy with its foundations in patronage and loyalty against its stated commitment to the rule of law and the civilizing mission, Conflicts of Colonialism sheds light on conflicts between different forms of colonialism and the deep ambiguities of the rule of law in colonial societies, which, despite serious challenges to Mademba's rule, allowed him to remain king until his death in 1918.

Introduction
1. Mademba and the foundations of the bargains of collaboration, 1852–1888
2. Conquest and construction of indirect rule in the French Soudan, 1886–1891
3. 'A world of deception and defection': Misrule, rebellion, and indirect rule revisted, 1891–1895
4. 'A curious and very engaging mixture of European and Native customs': Republican traditions and African kings, 1895–1899
5. The coming storm, 1898–1899
6. Rule of law and the bargains of collaboration: Mademba on trial, 1899–1900
7: 'An unexpected and precious collaborator': Mademba's redemption, 1900–1906
8: Remaking Mademba, 1906–1931
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Colonialism & imperialism [HBTQ], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], African history [HBJH]