Power, Honour and Shame: The Ideology of Royal Slavery in the Sokoto Caliphate

This article takes issue with ahistorical typologies that depict all slaves as ‘dishonoured’ persons. It demonstrates that royal slaves in Kano emirate of the Sokoto Caliphate, Nigeria, were initially valuable to the elite because they were indeed dishonoured outsiders. But, over time, slaves tried to limit their exploitation by developing their own systems of honour and status. The article traces when, where and how royal slaves in Kano acquired and attempted to acquire ‘honour’ as officials, kin and members of a broader social world. It focuses on a particular historical moment: the formation of elite slave communities in the Hausa emirates after the ‘jihad’ of 1804-1809. In particular, it explores the tension between the status of royal slaves as ‘outsiders’ and their position as ‘honoured’ officials and leaders. It demonstrates that the status of royal slaves as slaves paradoxically made possible both their subordination and their ability to acquire privileges and influence. Their power was rooted in their exclusion from systems of honour (being outsiders) and their consequential immunity from shame, as well as in their ability to develop their own system of honour (as historical actors). This ability to acquire an honourable identity was nonetheless limited by their slave status, and slave honour was both transitory and precarious. The article is based mainly on oral evidence collected in the 20th century. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English and French.