The Temne of Sierra Leone
African Agency in the Making of a British Colony

Much of the research and study of the formation of Sierra Leone focuses almost exclusively on the role of the so-called Creoles, or descendants of ex-slaves from Europe, North America, Jamaica, and Africa living in the colony. In this book, Joseph J. Bangura cuts through this typical narrative surrounding the making of the British colony, and instead offers a fresh look at the role of the often overlooked indigenous Temne-speakers. Bangura explores, however, the socio-economic formation, establishment, and evolution of Freetown, from the perspective of different Temne-speaking groups, including market women, religious figures, and community leaders and the complex relationships developed in the process. Examining key issues, such as the politics of belonging, African agency, and the creation of national identities, Bangura offers an account of Sierra Leone that sheds new perspectives on the social history of the colony.

Part I. Historical Epistemology: 1. Introduction: rethinking history and Freetown historiography; 2. Frontiers of identity: the Creoles and the politics of belonging; Part II. Beyond the Colonial Sphinx: African Agency in the Making of the Colony: 3. Realpolitik and boundaries of power: the Temne in local administration; 4. Intergroup relations and genealogies of conflict: the Temne and Freetonian dichotomy; Part III. Ethnocentrism and New Frames of Popular Culture: 5. Temne cultural associations and popular representations; 6. Islamic triumphalism in a Christian colony: Temne Agency in the spread and Sierra Leonization of Islam; 7. From the margins to the center: the role of Temne market women traders; 8. Conclusion: nexus of microhistory: new perspective on the Colony's historical landscape; Bibliography; Index.

Joseph J. Bangura is an Associate Professor of History and Director of the African Studies Program at Kalamazoo College, Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. in African history from Dalhousie University, Canada and has published widely on the colonial history of Sierra Leone and Freetown.