Based around the life of Mademba Sèye, an African born in the colonial town of Saint Louis du Sénégal in 1852, who transformed himself with the help of his French patrons from a telegraph clerk into an African king, this book examines Mademba's life and career to reveal how colonialism in French West Africa was articulated differently at different times and how Mademba survived these changes by periodically reinventing himself. Investigating Mademba's alleged abuses of power and crimes that pitted French colonial indirect rule policy with its foundations in patronage and loyalty against its stated commitment to the rule of law and the civilizing mission, Conflicts of Colonialism sheds light on conflicts between different forms of colonialism and the deep ambiguities of the rule of law in colonial societies, which, despite serious challenges to Mademba's rule, allowed him to remain king until his death in 1918.

‘Richard Roberts paints a vivid and revealing portrait of an African leader who was called at various times an imperial intermediary or a collaborator of the colonizing regime. He brings out brilliantly the uncertainties and violence of the early years of colonial rule in West Africa.'

Frederick Cooper - NYU, New York

‘This is a wonderfully rich and nuanced history of the early phase of French colonial rule in West Africa through the lens of the life of Mademba Sèye, who started his career as a telegrapher and later acquired, backed by his French supporters, the rank of ‘King'. Richard Roberts offers highly illuminating insights into the structures of power during the first decades of colonialism and how diverse actors attempted to navigate the challenges of this period.'

Andreas Eckert - Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

‘Mobilizing unparalleled knowledge of the field and decades of careful research, Richard Roberts uses Faama Mademba Sèye's remarkable rise from telegraph clerk to African ‘king' to explore the complex dynamics of French colonialism in the Soudan, illuminating the realms of governance, law, economic exploitation, and more.'

Elizabeth A. Foster - Tufts University

‘An astonishing book. Richard L. Roberts is confirmed as a major master, not just of African history but also of the historian’s craft in bringing to life what generations of historians always dreamt of, a ‘king’s’ life scattered among thousands of archival documents. A masterpiece.’

Alessandro Stanziani - EHESS