The African rank-and-file: social implications of colonial military service in the King's African Rifles, 1902-1964

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Heinemann, 1999 - History - 302 pages
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"The 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 fundamental tensions and contradictions of British colonial rule.

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Contents

the Kings African Rifles
13
Recruiting and the Doctrine of Martial Race
53
Military Life
104
Copyright

6 other sections not shown

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Common terms and phrases

AAPC Afri African NCOs African servicemen African soldiers African veterans April army's askaris Brigade British officers Burma civil officials civilian colonial army colonial governments colonial military colonial officials Colonial Secretary combat Company conscription CSEAG December discipline early KAR East Africa Army East Africa Command East African forces East African governments Education enlisted ethnic groups European ex-askaris ex-servicemen families February former askaris GOC EAC Interview January Kalenjin Kamba Kamba PTE KAR askaris KAR battalions KAR officers KAR's Kavirondo Kenya Kenyan government Kikuyu King's African Rifles large numbers Luhya Maasai Machakos Machakos District Manpower March martial races Mau Mau ment Middle East military authorities military service Mss.Afr.s Nairobi Nandi Northern Northern Rhodesia November Nyanza Province Nyasaland Nyasaland Governor PC NZA peacetime pensions percent policies political post-war problems Province recruiting Regiment Report Samburu Second World Sudanese Swahili Tanganyika territories tion troops Uganda units wages wartime wives women

Bibliographic information

QR code for The African rank-and-file
TitleThe African rank-and-file: social implications of colonial military service in the King's African Rifles, 1902-1964
Social history of Africa
AuthorTimothy Parsons
Edition3, illustrated
PublisherHeinemann, 1999
ISBN0325001405, 9780325001401
Length302 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Africa, East
Africa, East - Social conditions - 20th century
Biography & Autobiography / Military
Great Britain
History / Africa / General
History / General
History / Military / General
Soldiers
Soldiers - Africa, East - Social conditions
Soldiers/ Africa, East/ Social conditions
  
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