Forced labor for African infrastructure was formalized using military conscription categories

Evidence

Much of the infrastructure construction in the interwar period used labor forcibly recruited by the administration. In I926, this form of labor was partially regulated through the creation of the S.M.O.T.I.G. (Service de la main d’oeuvre pour les travaux d’interet general). Regulations stipulated that the reserve or “deuxieme” portion of Africans drafted for military service could be used for public works projects. The idea for such recruitment can be traced to World War I, when Africans were sent from one part of the federation to another as a solution to the local labor shortages. The decision to force Africans to work on construction sites as part of their military service was justified on the grounds that they would acquire valuable skills and that public works were necessary to raise the standard of living. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 1358

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the book’s broader theme of republican ‘civilizing’ ideals being contradicted by coercive labor practices, linking to earlier chapters on forced labor and the prestation.