‘The Days of their Heedless Power Were Over and Done’: Dynamics of Power in the Military Structures of the Precolonial Asante State, 1874–1900

Manuel J Manu-Osafo

doi:10.1017/s0021853721000281

Abstract

AbstractThe British surprisingly faced no military resistance when they captured Asante in 1896. Previous works have focused on the agency of actors like Prempe and Frederick Hodgson to explain why. This paper, in contrast, approaches this epoch in Asante history from the context of the sociopolitical power structure within which the precolonial Asante state operated. It asserts that Asante's independence was contingent on having a strong military. But since it had no standing army, the state used Asante's ‘social contract’ to coerce its subjects into ad hoc armies to meet military threats. Starting from the 1874 Sagrenti War, however, the state disregarded the social contract. This unleashed a series of events that undermined the state's power to coerce Asantes into military service. The article posits further that this erosion of the state's coercive power ultimately prevented it from countering the British with armed resistance in 1896 to maintain independence.

Highlights

When the British took over Asante in 1896, there was, surprisingly, no fighting: Asantehene Prempe I surrendered and was subsequently exiled by the British
Asantes owed an obligation of military service to their state
Asante formed its army by coercing its subjects into military service

Summary

Introduction

When the British took over Asante in 1896, there was, surprisingly, no fighting: Asantehene Prempe I surrendered and was subsequently exiled by the British. The second section points out that, during the Sagrenti War, Asante fighting men resisted the state’s power due to aberrations in this social contract.

Results

Conclusion