Legal History in Africa: Reflections on Colonisation, Intermediaries, and Asymmetric Dependencies in the Production of Colonial Law

From the late nineteenth century, European colonial powers aimed for the implementation of new administrative and legal systems across Africa, thus marking a period of intensified colonial rule. These structures of governance and justice were not introduced in isolation, but were shaped by a range of local intermediaries, including, but not limited to, interpreters, African authorities, judicial officials, healers, private companies, ethnographers, local informants, labour recruiters, trade brokers, missionaries, soldiers and police officers. These figures functioned as crucial intermediaries, navigating the intricate dynamics between African societies and colonial institutions. Their involvement underscores the complexity of colonial legal frameworks, demonstrating that they were not merely a top-down imposition, but rather a negotiated process.
This workshop aims to critically examine the role of intermediaries in the production of colonial law and normativities, with a particular focus on the agency they exercised within often asymmetrical power structures. The term 'intermediary' is broad and encompasses a variety of actors, and contributions that explore this concept in its widest sense are welcomed. Discussions will focus on how intermediaries influenced the creation, translation and implementation of colonial law and normativities, often engaging in negotiations between indigenous and colonial legal systems.

The term 'legal' is not exclusively confined to colonial legislation or state law, but is instead conceptualised as a pluralistic field of normativities, encompassing indigenous legal traditions, colonial legal orders and their intersections. Intermediaries occupied a central role in navigating these multiple legal systems, engaging in cultural translation and shaping the practical applications of law.