Imperialism and the End of Chieftaincy in Colonial Ghana, 1925-1950

Abstract

Nearly all the literature on colonialism in Africa focuses on African resistance rather than the roles of the Traditional Rulers in its formation. Thus, this paper is a deviation from that. This paper intends to portray the position of the Chiefs in the colonial enterprise, and how it led to the decline of the chieftaincy institution in Ghana. In doing so, I trace the events that attracted Europeans and subsequently led to the imposition of colonialism in Ghana, and how those interactions modify the status quo thus leading to new social stratifications and hierarchical formations. The peak of European imperialism’s drive coincided with the formative stages of most African States. So, it prevented the development of large States on the African continent. The study, thus, explores the impact of British imperialists and administrators in colonial Ghana in the face of the modus operandi and modus vivendi of the Chiefs. Although the Gold Coast Colony was established in July 1874, the Chiefs remained at the helm of affairs until they decided in 1925 to work with the colonial regime in administering the territory. Thus, as this “error” indubitably marked the beginning of the end for the Chiefs and the Chieftaincy Institution, it paved the way for the emergence of the leadership of the educated class by the middle of the twentieth century. The paper uses archival sources with secondary sources. The archival documents will explicate how deeply the Chiefs partook in establishing Colonialism in Ghana.

Keywords

• Chiefs
• Native Authority Ordinance
• Ghana

Imperialism and the End of Chieftaincy in Colonial Ghana, 1925-1950

Abstract

Afrika'da sömürgecilik üzerine neredeyse tüm literatür, oluşumunda Geleneksel Hükümdarların rollerinden ziyade Afrika direnişine odaklanmaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu makale bundan bir sapmadır. Bu makale, amirlerin sömürge girişimindeki konumunu ve bunun Gana'daki amirlik kurumunun çöküşüne nasıl yol açtığını tasvir etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bunu yaparken Avrupalıları cezbeden ve ardından Gana'da sömürgeciliğin empoze edilmesine yol açan olayları ve bu etkileşimlerin nasıl statükoyu değiştirdiğini ve böylece yeni toplumsal tabakalaşmalara ve hiyerarşik oluşumlara yol açtığını tasvir etmektedir. Avrupa emperyalizminin dürtüsünün zirvesi, çoğu Afrika devletinin oluşum aşamalarına denk geldi. Bu nedenle Afrika kıtasında büyük devletlerin gelişmesini engelledi. Çalışma, İngiliz emperyalistlerinin ve sömürgeci Gana'daki yöneticilerin, Amirler'in modus operandi ve modus vivendi'si karşısında etkisini araştırıyor. Gold Coast Kolonisi, Temmuz 1874'te kurulmuş olmasına rağmen Amirler, 1925'te bölgeyi yönetmede sömürge rejimiyle çalışmaya karar verene kadar işlerin başında kaldı. Böylece bu “hata”, şüphesiz Amirler ve Amirlik Kurumu için sonun başlangıcını işaret ederken yirminci yüzyılın ortalarında eğitimli sınıf liderliğinin ortaya çıkmasına zemin hazırlamıştır. Çalışmada ikincil kaynaklarla birlikte arşiv kaynakları da kullanılmaktadır. Arşiv kaynakları Gana’daki PRAAD’dan temin edilmiştir. Bu, sömürge Gana’daki değişiklikleri başlatan yerel ve dış politikalar hakkında önemli bilgiler sağlayan amirlik, yerel yönetim sistemi ve yerel ilişkiler hakkındaki verileri içermektedir. Arşiv belgeleri, Amirlerin ülkede sömürge kuralını kurmaya ne kadar derinden dâhil olduğunu ortaya çıkaracaktır.

Keywords

• Gana
• Amirler
• Yerel otorite yönetmeliği
• Yöneticiler.

References

1. Archival Sources: ARG 1/1/114, “UNION JACKS / FLAGS FOR CHIEFS”, 1923-1932.
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