The Impact of Local Power Dynamics upon Colonial Policies at Ground Level: The Case of Creating Village Chiefs in Lower Casamance, Senegal (1851–1922)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51349/veg.2023.2.14Keywords:
Casamance, Senegal, French Empire, Colonization, Village ChiefsAbstract
This article analyses the significance of local power dynamics to colonial policy implementation in Lower Casamance (Senegal). This region was inhabited by decentralized societies that hindered the establishment of French administrative structures. By combining written and oral sources, the article shows how local communities shaped the way by which village chieftaincies were created and developed. In this case, colonial policies on the ground were implemented according to patterns that conformed to local power dynamics.
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