Ethnographic Research, Local Power Brokers and the Political Reorganization of Colonial Ewedome, British Mandated Territory, 1914-1930s

Abstract

Present-day scholars have critically examined the nature and dynamics of indirect rule in Africa and have found it to be riddled with contradictions and ambiguities. Colonial officers were often accused of imposing colonial structures on local people in the name of tradition. Native Authorities (NAs), for instance, were seen as colonial inventions that often lacked real legitimacy. This article, however, extends the counter argument that the colonial state was actually the product of complex local dynamics rather than a straightforward ‘imposition’. This article uses both primary and secondary sources to provide evidence which shows how ethnographic research shaped the British policy of amalgamation in colonial Ewedome and secondly adds to our knowledge on the role of local power brokers in the formulation of colonial policies in Africa.

Keywords: Ethnography; Power Brokers; Colonial State; Intermediaries; mediation; legitimacy