Colonizing Accra: Experiments in Storytelling

Between 1886 and 1888, a series of dramatic events took place in the West African town of Accra, marking an escalation of colonial control and imperial state formation. This essay investigates three previously unknown, but profoundly important, political events through the perspective of narrative history. It asks how does storytelling change the way that historians approach the archive? What critiques of time, state, and power might narrative history offer the historian? This essay interweaves narrative storytelling with a critique of writing and archival practice. It argues that the events that took place in Accra in 1886–88 suggest a far later timeline for colonization than historians have previously accepted, and that these events—which were so crucial to Accra’s colonization by Britain—have perhaps been omitted from the historical record because historians mine the archives for data, not for stories. By approaching the archive for its storytelling potential, this essay suggests that historians may unearth not just compelling facts or anecdotes but a novel framework for understanding the movement of history.

Duke Scholars

Author Sarah Balakrishnan History