No dockers, no empire. The labour question at Dakar during World War I

Abstract

The Great War had a major impact on port activity at Dakar in Senegal. It increased bunkering and pushed up demand for daily labourers to provide an adequate service to the allied navies. This article analyses the changes in labour organization in the port during World War I. Based on archival sources held in the National Archives of Senegal, this study explores the ways in which the colonial administration tried to manage labour shortages on the docks. This research provides evidence of the institutional shifts in the colonial regime, where coercion strategies evolved into compensatory incentives to attract African workers. The vital military and economic roles played by Dakar as the gateway to French West Africa also explains the importance of institutional shift during the construction of colonial economic and political hegemony.