The African Rank-and-file: Social Implications of Colonial Military Service in the King's African Rifles, 1902-1964The African Rank-and-File explores why East Africans in the King's African Rifles (KAR) served a foreign power, which denied them the rights of full citizenship and was at best paternalistic and at worst openly oppressive. The KAR was a viable institution because it advanced, to varying degrees, the interests of the colonial state, the British military establishment, and African soldiers. These interests were quite often contradictory, and it took an ongoing process of negotiation and accommodation over the social status of the African soldiery to make the KAR work. Tensions such as these were not unique to the colonial military; the co-option of Africans as chiefs, policemen, teachers, and clergymen produced similar points of friction. Like other important intermediary classes, African soldiers performed a vital service for the colonial regime and sought to exploit its inherent weaknesses to enhance their position in colonial society. Their ability to do so exposed some of the most fu |
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Contents
The Kings African Rifles | 13 |
Recruiting and the Doctrine of Martial Race | 53 |
Military Life | 104 |
Copyright | |
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The African Rank-and-file: Social Implications of Colonial Military Service ... Timothy Parsons No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
AAPC African soldiers allowed army askaris August authorities became believed Brigade British officers Central chiefs civil civil officials civilian colonial colonial army colonial military Colonial Secretary combat Command Company conscription considered Corps December discipline District Division early East Africa Command East African Education enlisted European ex-servicemen families February forces former Governor imperial Interview January July June Kamba KAR battalions Kenya Kikuyu King's African Rifles labor land leave lives London Major March martial Mau Mau ment military authorities military service Nairobi Native needed Northern November Nyasaland October operations Orders organizations pensions percent policies political Press problems protest Province received recruiting refused Regiment relatively Report reserves rule Second World September served shillings social society status Sudanese territories tion troops Uganda units usually veterans wages wartime wives women