This book is designed as a contribution to the reappraisal of European colonial rule in Africa which has accompanied African independence. The reappraisal is part of an attempt to establish the reality and meaningfulness of change in the African past, an attempt which is itself one aspect of a new interest in the history of hitherto inarticulate and defeated peoples. Since this trend in historical studies is directed away from a too exclusive concern with the political and administrative history of the west, it may appear paradoxical to claim a place within it for a book which is primarily a study of European administrative techniques in Africa. Few subjects, it might seem, are more exclusively concerned with the actions of a dominant group within a dominant society. The main purpose of the book, however, is to show that even the structure and operation of a colonial administration can be understood only if they are related to the insights which recent study of modern African history has made available.

This is not a new purpose. Many recent accounts of European rule in Africa are acutely aware of the context within which it must be seen. This study adds little that is original to the understanding of colonial rule which is available from such recent work.