Crafting the Fringes of French Imperialism: Ceramic Politics in Siin, Senegal

Summary

In this paper, we examine aspects of craft production in west-central Senegal between the 18th and 20th century. This period encompasses turbulent political times marked, in succession, by the apogee of African centralized polities, the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, the advent of formal colonial empires, and the establishment of the postcolonial state of Senegal. Using a perspective of the long-term blending archaeological and ethnohistoric evidence, we explore the dynamics of ceramic production and circulation in the hinterland of the province of Siin, focusing on the village of Diohine and its surroundings. After reviewing the role of pottery in Siin’s pre-colonial kingdom, we analyze the political life of ceramic-making in the context of French imperialism, paying special attention to its entanglements with systems of governance and intercontinental markets. We conclude with a few remarks on the fate of indigenous pottery in Senegal’s political economy after independence.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• The Imperial Craft: Comparative Perspectives on Production and Society in Empires

Keywords

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