French rule in Niger blended uniform canton chiefs with protectorates

Evidence

Recent research on the military territory of Niger has revealed a combination of approaches until I908. In the north a system of uniform canton chiefs emerged; in parts of western Niger, on the other hand, a protectorate solution was sometimes adopted to cement certain earlier alliances with local leaders. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 1139

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the chapter’s running theme that French ‘direct administration’ was far more varied and negotiated than the official doctrine suggests - relevant to the reader’s broader question of how republican ideas were actually imposed vs adapted.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 1139