Choice Reviews Online · 1998 · 672 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesHistoryPolitical ScienceAfrican HistoryPolitical HistorySocial HistoryAfrican PoliticsColonial AfricaColonialismDecolonizationModern Political HistoryWest African HistoryAfricana Political ThoughtApartheid HistoryEnslavement In West AfricaRepublican HistoryRepublican Thought
The French republican civilizing mission in West Africa (1895‑1930) combined public works, education, and anti‑slavery efforts to promote civilization and republican values. The mission advanced moral progress through institutions such as William Ponty, yet also relied on coercive practices that valorized subjects in the 1920s.
A note on orthography and translation Introduction 1. The setting: the idea of the civilizing mission in 1895 and the creation of the government general 2. Public works and public health: civilization, technology, and science (1902-1914) 3. Forging the republican Sujet: schools, courts, and the attack on slavery (1902-1908) 4. 'En faire des hommes': William Ponty and the pursuit of moral progress (1908-1914) 5. Revolt and reaction: World War I and its consequences (1914-1930) 6. 'Democracy' reinvented: civilization through association (1914-1930) 7. Civilization through coercion: human Mise en Valeur in the 1920s Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index.