List of Figures
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Part I: African Voices, Imperial Dialogues, and the Evolution of Petition Writing
Introduction: On African Voices and Imperial Dialogues: Why Petitions Matter
Chapter One: An “Ancient Right”: Petition Writing and the British Empire
Chapter Two: From Traditions of Orality to “Voices in Ink”: Advent, Textual Analysis, and Dynamics of Petition Writing in Igboland, 1892―1900
Part II: Negotiating Colonialism: Locating African Voices via Selected Colonial Petitions
Chapter Three: “We Must Aright and Claim Genuine Rights of Ownership”: Voices of Land and Ownership
Chapter Four: “From “Pitiable Maidservants” to “Virtual Patriarchs”: Voices of Women and the Gendered Politics of Petitions
Chapter Five: “Sir, The Petition of Your Humble Servant, A Condemned Convict”: Voices Behind Bars and the Paradox of Colonial Punishment
Chapter Six: “A Privileged Dialogic Space”: Deference, Defiance, and Petition Writing during the World War Years
Chapter Seven: “Our Town is Underdeveloped . . . We Have No Amenities and All We Get Are Fees, Taxes, and Worries”: Negotiating Welfare and Development, 1940s―1960
Conclusion
Bibliography
About the Author