Contested freedoms : British images of Sierra Leone, 1780-1850
The colony of Sierra Leone, between 1780 and 1850, was a unique practical expression of British antislavery culture and ideology. This thesis reflects on how leading abolitionists imagined this part of West Africa and what they intended to achieve there. The approach is multi-disciplinary and draws on recent theoretical developments to investigate the creation and maintenance of hegemonic images of Sierra Leone and its inhabitants during the colony's early years. The thesis points to Manichean differences of interpretation which underlay images of Sierra Leone's native inhabitants, its black settler and liberated African populations and the abolitionists who supported them. It also reflects widely on images of Africa's physical environment. Throughout, the emphasis is on the struggles for representational dominance which took place not only between antislavery supporters and their opponents but within antislavery culture itself. Much of that struggle centred around early utopian images of the colony. Sierra Leone was a child of modernity at arguably its most optimistic and eloquent phase. It was seen as a place where enlightenment ideologies regarding rights and progress could be practically enacted. The utopian
Downing, Andrea
History
Contested freedoms : British images of Sierra Leone, 1780-1850. The colony of Sierra Leone, between 1780 and 1850, was a unique practical expression of British antislavery culture and ideology. This thesis reflects on how leading abolitionists imagined this part of West Africa and what they intended to achieve there. The approach is multi-disciplinary and draws on recent theoretical developments to investigate the creation and maintenance of hegemonic images of Sierra Leone and its inhabitants during the colony's early years. The thesis points to Manichean differences of interpretation which underlay images of Sierra Leone's native inhabitants, its black settler and liberated African populations and the abolitionists who supported them. It also reflects widely on images of Africa's physical environment. Throughout, the emphasis is on the struggles for representational dominance which took place not only between antislavery supporters and their opponents but within antislavery culture itself. Much of that struggle centred around early utopian images of the colony. Sierra Leone was a child of modernity at arguably its most optimistic and eloquent phase. It was seen as a place where enlightenment ideologies regarding rights and progress could be practically enacted. The utopian
contested freedom british image sierra_leone colony sierra_leone unique practical expression british culture ideology reflect leading abolitionist imagine part west_africa intend achieve there multi_disciplinary draw recent_theoretical development investigate creation_maintenance hegemonic image sierra_leone inhabitant colony point difference interpretation underlay image sierra_leone native inhabitant black settler liberate african population abolitionist support them also reflect widely image africa physical_environment throughout emphasis struggle representational dominance take_place supporter opponent within culture itself much struggle centre_around early utopian image colony sierra_leone child modernity arguably optimistic phase see place enlightenment ideology regard right progress could practically enact utopian