A 1930 decree singled out mixed-bloods, entrenching racial barriers

Evidence

In 1930, the Government General issued its first decree ever specifying when mixed-bloods of unknown parentage could become citizens. While this legislation was no more liberal than that affecting other African subjects, the mere fact that metis were considered worthy of a decree of their own simply because they had one white parent confirms that new barriers were being established between Africans and French, particularly as the latter began contesting French rule in a dramatically changed colonial, national, and international context. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 600

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Directly serves the reader’s purpose of understanding how French republicanism in West Africa created hierarchies and boundaries around belonging.