1.

Record Nr.

UNISA996248334103316

Autore

Likaka Osumaka <1953->

Titolo

Naming colonialism : history and collective memory in the Congo, 1870-1960 / / Osumaka Likaka

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Madison, WI, : University of Wisconsin Press, c2009

ISBN

1-282-42420-3

9786612424205

0-299-23363-4

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

xii, 220 p

Collana

Africa and the diaspora: history, politics, culture

Disciplina

967.51/02

Soggetti

Kongo language - Epithets

Nicknames - Congo (Brazzaville) - History

Nicknames - Congo (Democratic Republic) - Kinshasa - History

Congo (Brazzaville) Colonization

Congo (Democratic Republic) Colonization

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Intro -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Naming and African Voices -- 1. The Dynamics of Naming in Precolonial Congo: An Overview -- 2. Colonialism and the Village World: Contexts to Naming -- 3. Naming, Colonialism, Making History, and Social Memories -- 4. Early Naming, Explorations, Trade, and Rubber Collection -- 5. Naming and Belgian Colonial Rule -- 6. Talking under One's Breath: Praise Names as Strategic Ambiguities -- 7. Confronting African Voices: Negotiations and Instrumentalization of Names -- Conclusions -- Sample of Names Used in This Work -- Notes -- Works Cited -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

What's in a name? As Osumaka Likaka argues in this illuminating study, the names that Congolese villagers gave to European colonizers reveal much about how Africans experienced and reacted to colonialism. The arrival of explorers, missionaries, administrators, and company agents allowed Africans to observe Westerners' physical appearances, behavior, and cultural practices at close range--often resulting in subtle yet trenchant critiques. By naming Europeans, Africans turned a



universal practice into a local mnemonic system, recording and preserving the village's understanding of colonialism in the form of pithy verbal expressions that were easy to remember and transmit across localities, regions, and generations.