Imperial Gallows: Murder, Violence and the Death Penalty in British Colonial Africa, C.1915-60 - Paperback
$70.78 USD
Skip to product information
Imperial Gallows: Murder, Violence and the Death Penalty in British Colonial Africa, C.1915-60 - Paperback
$70.78 USD
Shipping calculated at checkout.
by Stacey Hynd (Author), Victoria Haskins (Editor), Emily J. Manktelow (Editor)
Not just a method of crime control or individual punishment in Britain's African territories, the death penalty was an integral aspect of colonial networks of power and violence. Imperial Gallows analyses capital trials from Kenya, Nyasaland and the Gold Coast to explore the social tensions that fueled murder among colonised populations, and how colonial legal cultures and landscapes of political authority shaped sentencing and mercy. It demonstrates how ideas of race, ethnicity, gender and 'civilization' could both spare and condemn Africans convicted of murder in colonial courts, and also how Africans could either appropriate or resist such colonial legal discourses in their trials and petitions.
In this book, Stacey Hynd follows the whole process of capital punishment from the identification of a murder victim to trial and conviction, through the process of mercy and sentencing onto death row and execution. The scandals that erupted over the death penalty, from botched executions and moral panics over ritual murder, to the hanging of anti-colonial rebels for 'terrorist' and emergency offences, provide significant insights into the shifting moral and political economies of colonial violence. This monograph contextualises the death penalty within the wider penal systems and coercive networks of British colonial Africa to highlight the shifting targets of the imperial gallows against rebels, robbers or domestic murderers. Imperial Gallows demonstrates that while hangings were key elements of colonial iconography in British Africa, symbolically loaded events that demonstrated imperial power and authority, they also reveal the limits of that power.Author Biography
Stacey Hynd is Senior Lecturer in African History at the University of Exeter, UK. Her publications include articles in Journal of African History, International Journal of Southern African Studies, Journal of Eastern African Studies, Journal of West African History, amongst others.
Number of Pages: 272
Dimensions: 0.57 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN
Publication Date: May 29, 2025
Details
This product is crafted with quality materials to ensure durability and performance. Designed with your convenience in mind, it seamlessly fits into your everyday life.
Shipping & Returns
We strive to process and ship all orders in a timely manner, working diligently to ensure that your items are on their way to you as soon as possible.
We are committed to ensuring a positive shopping experience for all our customers. If for any reason you wish to return an item, we invite you to reach out to our team for assistance, and we will evaluate every return request with care and consideration.
Shop The Full Collection
