The Nature of the Path: Reading a West African Road

Description

Marcus Filippello shows how a road running through the Lama Valley in Southeastern Benin has become a mnemonic device allowing residents to counter prevailing histories. Built by the French colonial government, the road serves as a site where the Ohori people narrate their changing relationship to the environment and assert their independence in the political milieus of colonial and postcolonial Africa.

Marcus Filippello is assistant professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"Offering a new type of postcolonial history that is informed by how people engage with the natural and material worlds, Marcus Filippello weaves together local and colonial narratives to make a significant contribution to our understanding of this little-studied region over several centuries of its history."-Celia Nyamweru, St. Lawrence University and Pwani University "A thoughtful and provocative book that explores the interconnected processes of cultural, social, political, and economic change in West Africa."-Journal of African History "Filippello is an engaging writer and incorporates his own perceptions and experiences throughout the short book, making it quite lively. "-PoLAR "A must-read for anyone interested in Yoruba political history."-African Studies Review "An important contribution to African histories of mobility and transport."-The Journal of Transport History