Wow! eBook
Metis of Senegal: Urban Life and Politics in French West Africa
Author(s): Hilary Jones (Author)
- Publisher: Indiana University Press
- Publication Date: 18 Mar. 2013
- Language: English
- Print length: 256 pages
- ISBN-10: 0253006732
- ISBN-13: 9780253006738
Book Description
The Metis of Senegal is a history of politics and society among an influential group of mixed-race people who settled in coastal Africa under French colonialism. Hilary Jones describes how the metis carved out a niche as middleman traders for European merchants. As the colonial presence spread, the metis entered into politics and began to assert their position as local elites and power brokers against French rule. Many of the descendants of these traders continue to wield influence in contemporary Senegal. Jones’s nuanced portrait of metis ascendency examines the influence of family connections, marriage negotiations, and inheritance laws from both male and female perspectives.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“An important contribution to African history that traces the rise and decline of the metis community of St. Louis-du-Senegal, one of the mixed race communities that sprouted in the various corners of the European empire.” Martin Klein, University of Toronto
About the Author
Hilary Jones is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Hilary Jones is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Maryland, CollegePark.
