"Gratien Candace, 1873-1953: In the Name of
the Empire", in Josep M. Fradera, José María Portillo, Teresa
Segura Garcia (ed.), Unexpected Voices in Imperial Parliaments,
London, Bloomsbury Academic, "Empire's Other Histories" series, July 1st, 2021, 256 p., ISBN-10 : 1350193194 - ISBN-13 : 978-1350193192.
This collection follows the extraordinary careers of nine colonial subjects who won seats in high-level parliamentary institutions of the imperial powers that ruled over them. Revealing an unexplored dimension of the complex political organisation of modern empires, the essays show how early imperial constitutions allowed for the emergence of these unexpected members of parliament, asks how their presence was possible, and unveils the reactions across metropolitan circles, local communities and the voters who brought them to office. Unearthing the entanglements between political life in metropolitan and non-European societies, it illuminates the ambiguous zones, the margins for negotiation, and the emerging forms of leadership in colonial societies. From a Hispanicised Inca nobleman, to recently emancipated slaves and African colonial subjects, in linking these individuals and their political careers together, Unexpected Voices in Imperial Parliaments argues that the political organisation of modern empires directly incorporated the voices of the colonised and the non-European, in an ambiguous relationship that led to a widening of political participation and action throughout the imperial world. In doing so, this book offers a comprehensive but nuanced reassessment of the making and unmaking of modern empires.
Introduction, Josep M. Fradera, José María Portillo and Teresa Segura-Garcia
1. The value of Political Representation in Modern Empires, Josep M. Fradera
2. Jean-Baptiste Belley: France's First Black Legislator, David Geggus (University of Florida)
3. Dionisio Inca Yupanqui: A 'lord' in Spain's Cortes de Cádiz, José María Portillo, (Universidad del País Vasco-Vitoria-Gasteiz)
4. Pedro José de Ibarra: A Mulatto Senator in Colombia's Antioquia, Daniel Gutiérrez Ardila (Universidad Externado de Colombia)
5. Cyrille Bissette: A Singular Voice in France, Abel Alexis Louis (Université Antilles-Guyane)
6. Robert Smalls: In Majority and in Minority in Washington, Stephanie McCurry (Columbia University)
7. Dadabhai Naoroji: Indian Member of Parliament in Westminster, 1892–95, Teresa Segura-Garcia (University of Cambridge / Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
8. Mpilo Walter Benson Rubusana: South Africa's First Black Parliamentarian, Timothy Stapleton (University of Calgary)
9. Gratien Candace: In the name of the French Empire, Dominique Chathuant (ch. ass. CERHiC, Université de Reims)
10. Blaise Diagne: French Parliamentarian from Senegal, Eric Garcia-Moral (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Conclusion, Adrian Shubert
Selected Bibliography
Index