Objective
This project analyses the structures of colonial systems of forced labour, in an attempt to come to a comparison of the
different trajectories of African populations under distinct European administrations. Through the interpretation of case studies
from different West African and Central African territories, it will be possible to understand the techniques of organising an
involuntary labour force, and their evolution until and beyond independence. The slow process of the abolition of forced
labour from World War II did not exclude continuities in clandestine practices of forcing African (rural) populations to work
without remuneration. Another form of continuity connects colonial practices to the postcolonial re-institution of systems
of forced labour: many postcolonial African governments were inclined to rely themselves on respective practices under
the impression of dire budgetary situations. The different case studies will highlight the existence of forced labour as an
Afro-European heritage in the social structures of African societies, and link that heritage back to the experiences of African
populations in the local arena. For cases from Ghana, Senegal, São Tomé e Príncipe, and a larger Central African region
consisting of sub-cases from Angola, Gabon, and Zambia, the project will address the question how structures of and
changes in forced labour had an impact on relations of power inside of the local societies. In particular, forced labour was, in
the colonial period, not only a means for colonial officials to shape socio-economic realities in the colonies according to their
ideas, but it also was an instrument in the hands of chiefs ( traditional rulers ) who were eager to employ it as a weapon to
discipline any existing opposition among their populations. African voices, both from archival sources and from interviews, will
be in the focus of this analysis: they will show the importance of the particular experience of forced labour for African social
evolution
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2009-StG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
10117 Berlin
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.