The Temne of Sierra Leone
African Agency in the Making of a British Colony

An in-depth study examining the agency and influence of indigenous Temne-speakers in the making of the Sierra Leone Colony.

Joseph J. Bangura (Author)

9781107197985, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 November 2017

222 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.6 cm, 0.44 kg

'The Temne of Sierra Leone has great value and scholastic merit for anyone looking to learn about overlooked indigenous contributions to Sierra Leonean history and West African identity formation. Through careful research, and by focusing deeply and specifically on the threads of localized identity, Bangura has woven Temne and non-Creole contributions back into historiography.' Jeremiah Garsha, Africa Today

Much of the research and study of the formation of Sierra Leone focuses almost exclusively on the role of the so-called Creoles, or descendants of ex-slaves from Europe, North America, Jamaica, and Africa living in the colony. In this book, Joseph J. Bangura cuts through this typical narrative surrounding the making of the British colony, and instead offers a fresh look at the role of the often overlooked indigenous Temne-speakers. Bangura explores, however, the socio-economic formation, establishment, and evolution of Freetown, from the perspective of different Temne-speaking groups, including market women, religious figures, and community leaders and the complex relationships developed in the process. Examining key issues, such as the politics of belonging, African agency, and the creation of national identities, Bangura offers an account of Sierra Leone that sheds new perspectives on the social history of the colony.

Part I. Historical Epistemology: 1. Introduction: rethinking history and Freetown historiography
2. Frontiers of identity: the Creoles and the politics of belonging
Part II. Beyond the Colonial Sphinx: African Agency in the Making of the Colony: 3. Realpolitik and boundaries of power: the Temne in local administration
4. Intergroup relations and genealogies of conflict: the Temne and Freetonian dichotomy
Part III. Ethnocentrism and New Frames of Popular Culture: 5. Temne cultural associations and popular representations
6. Islamic triumphalism in a Christian colony: Temne Agency in the spread and Sierra Leonization of Islam
7. From the margins to the center: the role of Temne market women traders
8. Conclusion: nexus of microhistory: new perspective on the Colony's historical landscape
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: African history [HBJH], Regional & national history [HBJ], History [HB], Humanities [H]