The Rise of the ‘Impenetrable Hedge’
African Intermediaries and the Legacy of Colonial Wars in Northern Ghana, 1896–1920
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8977952 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Domenico Cristofaro (0000-0002-4122-329X, University of Bologna, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 406-421 |
| Publication date | 2023-10-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of African History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-8537 • E-ISSN: 1469-5138 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0021853723000609 |
| OpenAlex | W4387796911 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 8 |
This article sheds light on the effects that the unrest created by early twentieth-century colonial wars had on the increasing power of African colonial intermediaries in the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast. By managing interpretation processes as well as developing a monopoly on the use of violence, interpreters, soldiers, clerks, and chiefs created what the officers called an ‘impenetrable hedge’. Analyzing how these different figures deployed their power, the article argues that there was historical continuity in the formation of the intermediaries and the methods employed by them between the years of the colonial wars and the later British administration. Despite their institutional role, however, precariousness remained a central facet of these agents’ experiences. The article shows that they were continually challenged at a grassroots level, and suggests that it was only through the use of coercion that they were able to maintain their position
Business · Coercion (linguistics · Colonialism · Economic history · Economics · Grassroots · Hedge · Intermediary · Interpretation (philosophy · Market economy · Monopoly · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Position (finance · Power (physics · Sociology · Unrest · African history and culture studies · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · History · Law · South African History and Culture
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |