Socioeconomic status and group belonging: evidence from early-nineteenth-century colonial West Africa

Stefania Galli

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: This study provides a novel analysis of occupational stratification in Sierra Leone from a historical perspective. By employing census data for early-nineteenth-century colonial Sierra Leone, the present study offers a valuable snapshot of a colony characterized by a heterogenous population of indigenous and migratory origin. The study shows that an association between colonial group categorization and socioeconomic status existed despite the colony being of very recent foundation implying a hierarchical structure of the society. Although Europeans and "mulattoes"occupied most high-status positions, as common in the colonies, indigenous immigrants were also represented in high socioeconomic strata thanks to the opportunities stemming from long- and short-distance trading. However, later arrivals, especially liberated slaves, belonged within the lowest socioeconomic strata of the society and worked as farmers or unskilled labor, suggesting that the time component may also have influence socioeconomic opportunities.

Keywords: colonialism; occupational structure; Sierra Leone; social-stratification; West Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N37 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 24 pages
Date: 2022-06-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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Published in Social Science History, 1, June, 2022, 46(2), pp. 349 - 372. ISSN: 0145-5532

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