The Social Construction of Colonial Reality: Yauri Emirate. - article ; n°98 ; vol.25, pg 139-159

Frank A.Salamone

Description

Cahiers d'études africaines - Année 1985 - Volume 25 - Numéro 98 - Pages 139-159
21 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: CAHIERS_D-ETUDES_AFRICAINES
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1985
• Nombre de lectures: 31
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Monsieur Franck A. Salamone
The Social Construction of Colonial Reality: Yauri Emirate.
In: Cahiers d'études africaines. Vol. 25 N°98. 1985. pp. 139-159.
Résumé
F. A. Salamone — Construction sociale de la réalité coloniale : l'émirat de Yauri.
L'analyse du diaire du district de Yauri (Nigeria), correspondant à l'émirat hausa du même nom, met en valeur le processus
d'interaction entre autorité « coutumière » et autorité administrative coloniale qui caractérisait le système britannique de l'indirect
rule. Les personnages sont ici, successivement, un émir illégitime et un administrateur borné, puis un « bon » émir et un
administrateur éclairé. Avec les deux derniers le « double mandat » rapporte, économiquement au colonisateur, dont le
commerce se développe, politiquement au chef africain, dont le pouvoir s'étend en se renforçant — leur intérêt commun étant de
parvenir à un contrôle étroit et centralisé de la paysannerie. Jeu de dupes en partie, mais où l'une et l'autre dupes sont aussi des
gagnants.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Salamone Franck A. The Social Construction of Colonial Reality: Yauri Emirate. In: Cahiers d'études africaines. Vol. 25 N°98.
1985. pp. 139-159.
doi : 10.3406/cea.1985.1745
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/cea_0008-0055_1985_num_25_98_1745TUDES ET ESSAIS
Frank Salamone
Thé Social Construction
of Colonial Reality
Yauri Emirate*
Abdullahi power but handbook The district transactions either tion the British other perspective emirate peoples through diary entries of The It each minute costs Yauri of day details permits of Harris and in the officer Yauri interference ultimately which book was Northern were Hausa of and privileges Day for process aspects between or transactions regarding how able that at moreover Day developing Abdullahi now sometimes limits Book Yauri of to strengthened took of Nigeria Book translated appointments partners in extend achieve of capturing however the rural of place local between is and the day-to-day mutually trapped rare the life traditional provides basic in of remarkable thesis groups into Harris glimpse government the is and power the much English May goals by questions Dual pacifying constructed within record särkin the consequently their The of into 171928 power more within Mandate theme document the supplies ruling book lists of version that Yauri and central the colony than structure its and of policies process consists classes reality answers this actual peasantry both context Abdullahi of September It how government Basically simple work colonial is It basic in and running of to makes initiated The Harris documenta numerous erode period listing colonized data Analysis series and 21931 reality process virtual it of clear over and is the by an in of
This paper is based on one written as part of National Endowment for
the Humanities Summer Seminar on Power and Class in 1983 The
translation of the Yauri Day Book YDB is by Musa Gadzama and was
authorized by Alhaji Tukrur the late emir of Yauri and son
thank Robert Heussler for sending me translated copy of the Yauri Day
Book also wish to thank Anthony Kirk-Greene for his advice and gener
osity with materials Irving Markovitz for his advice and direction
and the anonymous reviewers for their comments All responsibility for errors
is of course mine
Cahiers tudes africaines g8 XXV-2 l()8g pp FRANK SALAMONE 140
which indirect rule had been firmly established but not yet vigorously
attacked In essence therefore indirect rule was clearly demonstrating
its basic structure without the rhetoric attendant on its implementation
or the murkiness contingent upon the defensiveness that marred its
practice after attacks by Nigerian nationalists Because of the nature
of case as revealed in the Day Book it is therefore possible to
isolate typical features of indirect rule action Such isolation
facilitates comparison with other case studies providing solid empirical
base for generating testable hypotheses
For example the process through which local rulers in Yauri strength
ened their power by negotiating mutually acceptable version of colonial
reality with their British masters cannot be unique to one small emirate
especially one that was so often cited as model for progressive indirect
rule Heussler 1968 Sharwood Smith 1969 74 Indeed
circumstances offer parallels with those of the Tiv of Northern Nigeria
where both administrators and rulers agreed to negotiated version of
reality that Dorward 1974 terms working
Dorward argues rather persuasively that series of working
misunderstandings were developed order to ease the control of colonial
administrators as well as chiefs over those outside political administration
This had the virtue of maintaining the fiction of indirect rule resulting
from the conquest of the Sokoto empire in 1903 That victory presented
the British with so enormous tract of land to govern that they had
little idea of its size or population Therefore an ideology developed
in which the Hamitic Hausa-Fulani became models for civilization and
partners in its spread
Although Dorward is correct in his assessment of the overall colonial
situation in Nigeria and probably elsewhere as well his work deals with
the Tiv who being far from centralized do not provide really significant
example of indirect rule Therefore his insight that acceptance of
colonial ideology by the governed led to the development of symbiotic
relationship between the cultures of paternalism and and
that such symbiosis involved numerous working misunderstandings
arising from concept models which had proven meaningful in one
situation being applied under quite different circumstances Dorward
1974 457) while suggestive needs to be tested
Being the very model of progressive emirate under indirect rule
Yauri is an ideal test case of ideas and allows for their develop
ment beyond the point to which he took them In Yauri as in Tivland
priority for both British and local rulers was the capturing and pacifica
tion of the peasantry neither could afford an uncontrolled mass existing
and operating outside the legitimate polity The Day Book indeed
provides keen insight into that process It yields even more namely
clear example of collaboration in the extension of centralized control
in situation of colonial rule YAURI EMIRATE 141
Crowder 1970 xi analyses the general method through which the
British effected this extension in Nigeria Crucial to its understanding
is the fact that in sense no sovereign was strictly legitimate after the
British conquest for all leaders then relied for their power on outsiders
The fact that the Pulani had subdued local chiefs through the rights of
victory of course provided Lugard with his rationale for advocating and
justifying colonial indirect rule With rare exceptions Crowder claims
the British were concerned with preserving the reigns of legitimate
dynasties Inevitably there were misunderstandings and more than
hint of various manipulations occurring on both sides Eventually
however accommodations were made and in general most legitimate
chiefs discovered that their real power in local affairs had grown for
these same chiefs had removed for them by the colonial regime many
of the limitations to their authority from below ibid. xiv In fact
strong chief could overawe young district officer Smith 1970 2i) and
no factor was more important in determining the nature of government
than the personalities of British officers and African rulers and the way
they blended in practice Heussler quoted in Smith 1970 17)
Markovitz 1977 168-172 clearly indicates the value of attending
to the continuity in African authority and its dominant classes in order
to grasp the significance of current African politics If we are ever to
emerge from the stage of suggestive generalizations and the broad
we must move first to investigate local-level politics and relevant
cases that alone enables us to carry out the tedious but rewarding task
of teasing out the strands of traditional Western and mixed threads
from the warp and woof of current African political garb
This study of Yauri from 1902 to 1931 in fact sheds light on broader
themes It looks at the emirate during two distinct periods under two
distinct sets of rulers One set was inept and failed in its overall goals
notably in the pacification of the area and its people through stirring
up uprisings against both the British and their handpicked chief The
other set of rulers provided model of indirect rule in general peace
prevailed and the operation of daily administration proceeded smoothly
and peacefully The efficient set of rulers significantly led to the
increase of centralization which provides empirical and theoretical data
for the extension of the concept of working
Setting
Yauri emirate is located in the north-west corner of Sokoto State Nigeria
By the time of the British conquest it was the smallest of the Hausa
emirates and as was proper for one of the Hausa banza bastard
their westernmost outpost along the Niger river Yauri ne