Child Slavery and Guardianship in Colonial Senegal

Bernard Moitt (Virginia Commonwealth University)

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English

Cambridge University Press
22 May 2025

African history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Slavery & abolition of slavery; Age groups: children

Series: African Studies

In the immediate aftermath of the French abolition of slavery in 1848, many previously enslaved children suddenly became wards of the colonial state. The colonial administration in Senegal created an institution called tutelle, a form of guardianship or wardship, that aimed both to prevent the loss of labor from liberated minors and to safeguard the children's welfare. Drawing from extensive archival research, Bernard Moitt uncovers the stories of these liberated children who were entrusted to Africans, Europeans, institutions like orphanages, Catholic orders and the military, and, often, their former owners. While the literature on servitude in French West Africa has primarily focused on the period before 1848, Moitt demonstrates that tutelle allowed slavery to persist under another name, with children continuing to be subject to the same widespread labor exploitation and abuse. Using a range of rich case studies, this book offers new insights into the emancipation of enslaved people in Senegal, the tenacity of servility, and children's agency.

By: Bernard Moitt (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781009296465
ISBN 10: 1009296469
Series: African Studies
Pages: 249
Publication Date: 22 May 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction; 1. Urban Senegal in the second half of the nineteenth century; 2. Evolution of tutelle; 3. Adoption of minors and state control of tutelle; 4. Legislating guardianship, 1848–1900; 5. Juvenile labor; 6. The crisis of 1903–1904; 7. Minors in institutions; 8. Marriage, life, death and abuse; Conclusion.

Bernard Moitt is a Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Born and raised in Antigua, his research focuses on slavery in French West Africa, primarily Senegal, and the French Antilles. He has previously published Women and Slavery in the French Antilles, 1635–1848 (2001) and edited Sugar, Slavery and Society: Perspectives on the Caribbean, India, the Mascarenes and the United States (2004).

Reviews for Child Slavery and Guardianship in Colonial Senegal

'In 1848 France abolished slavery in its colonial empire. In this perceptive study, Bernard Moitt describes the ways the colonial regime used adoption to avoid the application of this law to children and perpetuate a form of servitude.' Martin Klein, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto '… a detailed, at times almost encyclopedic, study of tutelle that will be very useful to scholars interested in slavery, emancipation, indenture, children, and post-emancipation societies in West Africa and beyond, and to specialists of Senegalese history. As the first book detailing the institutional history of guardianship in Senegal, [this] is sure to have a lasting impact on the field.' Kelly Duke-Bryant, The Journal of Development Studies 'As the first book-length study of this much-neglected aspect of colonialism, this work makes an important contribution to the field. Highly recommended.' E. S. Schmidt, CHOICE