Mobilizing the Masses: Gender, Ethnicity, and Class in the Nationalist Movement in Guinea, 1939-1958

Mobilizing the Masses examines Guinea's independence movement from France through the lens of gender, ethnicity, and social class. The study focuses on the period between 1939-1958, when the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) party led the push for decolonization. Schmidt analyzes how different segments of Guinean society - from urban workers to rural farmers, women to youth - participated in and shaped the nationalist movement. The work draws on archival materials and oral histories to document the complex dynamics between colonial authorities, traditional leaders, and emerging political forces. The RDA's ability to unite diverse ethnic groups and social classes into an effective political coalition forms a central focus of the narrative. Key events like strikes, protests, and electoral campaigns reveal the evolving relationships between party leadership and grassroots supporters. This account offers insights into how nationalist movements navigate internal divisions while building broad-based support. The intersection of gender, ethnicity and class emerges as crucial to understanding both colonial power structures and anti-colonial resistance.

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🌟 Elizabeth Schmidt spent over a decade conducting oral interviews in Guinea, gathering firsthand accounts from women who participated in the independence movement but whose stories had previously gone untold. 🌍 The book reveals how the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) party successfully united people across ethnic, gender, and class lines by addressing both local grievances and nationalist aspirations. 👩 Female market vendors played a crucial role in Guinea's independence movement, using their economic networks and social influence to mobilize support and spread political messages. 📚 The author discovered that many colonial archives had deliberately omitted or minimized women's roles in the independence struggle, making oral histories essential to uncovering the full story. 🗣️ The book demonstrates how the RDA used multiple local languages rather than just French in their campaigns, helping them reach and unite diverse populations across Guinea in ways their political rivals couldn't match.