Ethnicity and the Making of History in Northern Ghana

Drawing on two decades of research, this social and political history of North-Western Ghana explores the creation and redefinition of ethnic distinctions and commonalities by Africans and Europeans. It shows how ethnicity's power ultimately derives from a contradiction: while ethnic identities purport to be non-negotiable, and security, the boundaries of the communities created and the associated traits and practices are malleable and adaptable to specific interests and contexts.

Carola Lentz

List of maps and plates; Preface; Introduction; 1. The North-West in the nineteenth century; 2. The introduction of chieftaincy; 3. The discursive creation of ethnicity; 4. The Lawra Confederacy Native Authority; 5. Labour migration, home-ties and ethnicity; 6. 'Light over the Volta': the mission of the White Fathers; 7. Decolonisation and local government reform; 8. 'The time when politics came': party politics and local conflict; 9. Ethnic movements and special-interest politics; 10. The cultural work of ethnicity; Epilogue; List of abbreviations; Glossary; List of Divisional Chiefs of Lawra District; References; Index.