Recent Info

Summary

Conceiving of colonialism as a uniform, monolithic, and hegemonic process across the African continent obscures the complexities through which compromise, negotiation, and economic and political transformation unfolded. This presentation examines how colonial rule in Ghana was not only imposed but also actively marginalized by African actors from the very first encounters with British troops. Far from passive subjects of domination, communities in northern Ghana developed strategies that limited, deflected, and reshaped colonial authority. Focusing on the early colonial period, the presentation argues that the marginalization of colonial power was not a single moment but an ongoing process, sustained through creative responses that consistently minimized the reach of colonial control. Three interrelated spheres of life are central to this analysis: spatiality, where settlement patterns and concepts of land use resisted colonial regulation; politics, where chiefs, ritual authorities, and non-centralized communities reconfigured power relations to their advantage; and economy, where markets, trade, migration, and the circulation of multiple currencies developed along trajectories only partially shaped by colonial oversight. By foregrounding these dynamics, the presentation underscores the limited scope and fragmented nature of colonial rule, while emphasizing the agency of African actors in shaping their own historical trajectories. In doing so, it calls for a reassessment of the history of colonial Ghana: not solely as a story of domination, but also as one of active marginalization of the empire through everyday practices.

instructor

Date & Venue

September 5. 2025（Thursday）
16:00～18:00(JST)
Small-sized conference room Ⅱ, 3F Inamori Foundation Memorial Fall, Kyoto University

Language

Eligibility

Everyone is welcomed to attend.

Profile

Contact

Notes

There are no parking lots available. Please use public transport.