Viewed through the lens of interracial homicide trials, several aspects of the British Empire have, I hope, been brought into sharper focus. One is its diversity – most obviously the fundamental difference between colonies of white settlement, moving to self-government and local control of relations with their indigenous and other nonwhite inhabitants, and predominantly nonwhite colonies, governed directly by imperial officials. In this sharp distinction, the uncertain position of East Africa stands out, part of the second group but with a growing body of white settlers eager to join the first. Yet this distinction was not the only element of diversity in the Empire; every colony, it should have become clear, presented its own unique set of circumstances.

Within this diverse array of territories and peoples, one common element was the permanent tension between the forces pressing toward centralization and those pressing towards localization. These trials were all conditioned by the tug between Judges, Governors, and other officials on the spot (backed up in varying degrees by the Colonial Office) attempting for the most part to enforce Empire-wide laws and principles, and local white populations pushing to expand their own autonomy.