French associationism limited African council roles to narrowly administrative functions

Evidence

Merlin admitted that the appointment of Africans to the administrative councils was not the most important part of his plan to associate Africans. As he put it, “The introduction of natives to our councils is a delicate process. In the higher administrative assemblies, their effective collaboration implies an administrative and judicial culture that they rarely possess. In the elected assemblies [such as the General Council of Senegal) they allow themselves to be caught up in the political and personal aspects of the discussions, forgetting that their role is purely administrative and economic.” — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 1307

Categorization

• QUESTION: Merlin claims Africans lack the culture for higher assembly collaboration but shows he fears their politicization in elected bodies, not just incapacity - worth probing which concern was real.