French colonial administrators sidelined traditional ruling lineages in favor of new appointees
Evidence
Panty’s circulars had a direct impact upon policy making. Throughout West Africa, the years leading up to World War I witnessed a major upheaval in the African command structure. The breakup of remaining states begun under Roume was continued. Although the lieutenant governors of certain colonies, such as Guinea and Senegal, realized that they could not abolish the offices of canton and province chiefs and still function normally, local administrators nevertheless often adopted the next best antichief measure: they deliberately excluded members of traditional ruling lineages from power, preferring to appoint new men as French administrative auxiliaries. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 403
Categorization
- QUESTION: What did ‘new men’ appointed as auxiliaries mean for legitimacy and African resistance? The social base of collaboration shifts here.