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- Convenors:
-
Alexander Keese
(Université de Genève)
Eric Allina (University of Ottawa)
Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo (Institute of Social Sciences-University of Lisbon)
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- Location:
- C4.06
- Start time:
- 27 June, 2013 at
Time zone: Europe/Lisbon
- Session slots:
- 1
Short Abstract:
Portugal's empire is well known for repressive labour regimes, especially its 'native' legislation, the indigenato. The panel will discuss comparatively this cornerstone of Portuguese colonialism, connecting it to 'mainstream' British and French practices, and considering the legacies of each.
Long Abstract:
Practices of repressive labour recruitment and organisation are perhaps the hallmark of debates over Portuguese colonialism. Scholars have identified forced labour as typical for territories under Portuguese rule, and many studies offer systematic and nuanced analyses of the hardships experienced by local populations. The so-called 'indigenato' ('native' legislation) was a key tool in this context, enabling Portuguese officials to inflict punishment on local individuals with relative ease, including widespread abuse of corporal punishment.
However, to the current day, analyses of Portugal's repression in colonial Africa continue to be somewhat disconnected from analogous studies of other European colonialisms. This obscures the fact that we find parallel labour practices in both French and British colonies in Africa. The panel aims to address the lack of comparative perspectives and to open a broader discussion of European colonial repression expressed through 'native legislations' (e.g. the French indigénat and the British Master and Servants Act), in particular with regard to involuntary labour recruitment and disciplinary measures exerted over the labour force.
This perspective will not only enhance our understanding of these crucial colonial practices, but also allow us to reflect upon the legacy ofsuch repressive measures in early postcolonial regimes, above all in rural districts of newly independent countries. The history of post-independence transformations in African labour has yet to be written. In the context of producing elements for such a future project, this panel hopes to advance the debate on the ongoing legacies of colonial discrimination and compulsory labour practices in Africa.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Sarah Kunkel (University of Education, Winneba)
Paper short abstract:
The presentation will show how the British administration used the indirect rule system in the Gold Coast’s Northern Territories to regulate labour. The role of local authorities in labour recruitment is a central aspect in the analysis.
Paper long abstract:
The 1930s witnessed the international standardization of labour standards in the 'Forced Labour Convention' and the 'Recruiting of Indigenous Workers Convention'. The Gold Coast's colonial administration's answer to meet the balancing act of satisfying the regulations of the conventions and the industry's labour demand lied within using the indirect rule system as a loophole. The presentation will show how the colonial government reacted with legislative and administrative means to the conventions to create a labour system in which chiefs played a central role.
Whereas this system was created mainly in the 1930s, the 1940s and the 1950s witnessed constitutional reforms which will be analysed from the labour perspective. The presentation will show which aspects of labour were administratively the colonial government's task and which were put in the hands of the local authorities and to what means. Legislation in the Gold Coast did not only meet the demands of the labour conventions, but also legally institutionalised methods of labour recruitment and established 'local responsibility' for labour questions. This legal and administrative side of labour in the history of the Gold Coast has been underemphasised in research.
Although making some general statements, the focus is on the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast, which was the main domestic supplier of unskilled mine labour. Within the colonial period, the history of the Northern Territories was distinct on the administrative and economic level and the presentation will show in how far it was determined by the 'labour question'.
Romain Tiquet
Paper short abstract:
At the eve of Senegalese independence, this proposal examines the survival of forced labour practices after its official abolition in 1946. This presentation will highlight the legacies of these practices and behaviours and analyse the ruptures and the continuities created from 1946 and beyond.
Paper long abstract:
The aim of this paper is to examine the structures of forced labour, within the Senegalese context, as a coercive institution employed by the colonial and the postcolonial state. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the brutality of the labour system became the target of widespread criticism and, in 1946, the Houphouët-Boigny law abolished the official use of any forms of forced labour in French colonial Africa. Nevertheless, there are indications pointing to the survival of diversified forms of involuntary labour, which continued to exist after the official abolition and even beyond the Senegalese independence. A main interest of this proposal is to take into account the legacies of these practices and behaviours and to understand the ruptures and the continuities created from 1946.
It is generally established that forced labour practices are a particular expression of the persistent problem that colonial powers were experiencing with regard to the mobilization of labour in the colonial territories. Thus, this paper will shed a light on the analysis of the reconfiguration of labour strategies by the colonial and postcolonial state in order to minimize the labour cost at any price. Centered on some form of survival or persistence of forced labour in Senegal (convicts labourers, military labour for both private and public purposes...), this presentation will, more broadly, highlight the social changes and crisis of labor at the eve of Senegalese independence. This paper intends to combine archival research and oral testimonies.
Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo (Institute of Social Sciences-University of Lisbon) José Pedro Monteiro (Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa)
Paper short abstract:
Highlighting comparative dimensions, this paper will focus on the growing interconnectedness between twentieth-century internationalism and the nature and modus operandi of the Portuguese Colonial Empire between 1924 and 1962, namely in what relates to the politics and policies of native labour.
Paper long abstract:
Highlighting comparative dimensions and assessing the historical interplay between imperial internationalisms, cold war rivalries and developmental discourses, this paper will focus on the growing interconnectedness between twentieth-century internationalism and the nature and modus operandi of the Portuguese Colonial Empire between 1924 and 1962, namely in what relates to the politics and policies of native labour. The political and diplomatic importance of the native labour question, especially its compulsory modalities, as a matter of international dialogue and dispute between the Portuguese empire-state and several international bodies (League of Nations, International Labour Organization and United Nations) will be analysed and explored comparatively. Four historical moments will be addressed: the debate within the Temporary Slavery Commission (League of Nations) between 1924-1926; the discussion around the first international convention regarding forced labour at the ILO (Convention no. 29 of 1930) between 1928-1930; the activities of the slavery and forced labour special committees coordinated by the ECOSOC and BIT (1947-53); and, finally, the Ghana's complaint against Portugal at the ILO (1961-62).