Pith and power: Colonial style in France and French West Africa

Through close analysis of interwar French representations of the pith helmet, both visual and textual, I trace the array of significations to which this single form of material culture was harnessed as it moved between France and Afrique Occidentale Française. Though born of a vulnerability specific to white, European bodies, this headwear's distinctive, recognizable form became an emblem of imperial power for those same bodies. This imperial connotation propelled the helmet into dress practices on the other side of the colonial divide, where West African consumers brought further layers of semantic complexity to this headwear's colonial connotations. A select few West Africans wore pith helmets to signify their status as adjuncts to the French administration, thus extending that power. Others took up the pith helmet in defiance of French sartorial norms, bringing its associations with elite status into their own dress systems. Wherever it appeared, the pith helmet alluded to an elsewhere. In France, the helmet conjured the steamy climate of the colonies; in the colonies this headwear invoked the metropole and its administration of colonial subjects. My analysis demonstrates the complex roles of this key element of colonial material culture, which moved between colony to metropole, both projecting European power and revealing the precarity of that power

Style Migrations: South-South Networks of African Fashion

Fashion design from Africa and by African designers provides a rich source of information about south-south networks of influence and inspiration. Using several case studies, this article explores the products of cultural interactions between Africa and other world regions, and between cultures within Africa, to illuminate south-south networks of innovation. Case studies include the work of Sakina M’Sa, Maimouna Diallo, and the distinctive embroidery of northern Mali known as “Ghana Boy” style

Handmade Art: Furniture

Students will learn about a rural furniture workshop, led by Saliou Thiaou in his home town of Palo. They will also learn about the work of Oumane Mbaye, a Senegalese artist/designer in Dakar who creates furniture out of already existing materials, like metal containers and pipes. Each of these types of furniture uses different materials, and are sold in different ways. But both illustrate how artists turn inspiration into products. Students will use what they learn to create their own pieces

Senegalese Jewelry

In this lesson plan, students will explore images of Senegalese gold and silver jewelry and consider its cultural and social significance for the women that design and wear it, how it is made, and its relevance to their own lives

Law and International Relations: Introductory Remarks and Panel Discussion

This panel was cosponsored by the American Society of International Law (ASIL). The ASIL was founded in 1906 by Secretary of State Elihu Root to inform and engage the public on issues of international law. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership association and research institute dedicated to providing both information about international law in all its forms and a forum for debate and discussion. This panel was one such forum. It was organized under the auspices of the ASIL Judicial Outreach Program, chaired by Justice Sandra Day O\u27Connor. The Judicial Outreach Program provides information resources for federal and state judiciaries. The panel attempted to tour the horizon of international law and United States practice. The panelists, who have a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives, discussed a variety of issues, including how one defines the substance of international law, how international law interacts with our Constitution and with domestic legal practice, and how the work of lawyers and judges is evolving due to globalization

Law and International Relations: Introductory Remarks and Panel Discussion

This panel was cosponsored by the American Society of International Law (ASIL). The ASIL was founded in 1906 by Secretary of State Elihu Root to inform and engage the public on issues of international law. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership association and research institute dedicated to providing both information about international law in all its forms and a forum for debate and discussion. This panel was one such forum. It was organized under the auspices of the ASIL Judicial Outreach Program, chaired by Justice Sandra Day O\u27Connor. The Judicial Outreach Program provides information resources for federal and state judiciaries. The panel attempted to tour the horizon of international law and United States practice. The panelists, who have a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives, discussed a variety of issues, including how one defines the substance of international law, how international law interacts with our Constitution and with domestic legal practice, and how the work of lawyers and judges is evolving due to globalization