Richard Roberts
Frances and Charles Field Professor of History, Emeritus
Academic Appointments
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Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, History
Administrative Appointments
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Professor of History, Frances and Charles Field (2008 - Present)
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Vice Chair, History Department, Stanford University (2003 - 2007)
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Professor, History, Stanford University (1995 - Present)
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Associate Professor, History, Stanford University (1989 - 1995)
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Assistant Professor, History, Stanford University (1981 - 1988)
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Acting Assistant Professor, History, Stanford University (1980 - 1981)
Honors & Awards
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Senior Fellow, Institute for International Studies, Stanford University (1991 - 1993)
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Killam Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for African Studies, Dalhousie University (1978 - 1980)
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JohnS. Guggenheim Fellowship, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation (2013 - 2014)
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Donald Andrews Whittier Faculty Fellow, Stanford Humanities Center (2007 - 2008)
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Kahn-Van Slyke Award for Graduate Mentoring, History Department, Stanford University (2004)
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Internal Faculty Fellowship, Stanford University Institute for International Studies (2002 - 2003)
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Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching, Stanford University (1999)
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Award for Service to the Graduate Student Community, Stanford University (1999)
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Internal Fellow, Stanford Humanities Center, Stanford University (1993 - 1994)
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Social Sciences Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University (1992)
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Internal Fellow, Stanford Humanities Center (1987 - 1988)
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Social Science Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University (1986 - 1987)
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Postdoctoral Fellowship, Social Science Research Council (1981)
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Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship, Dalhousie University (1978 - 1980)
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Graduate fellowship, Canada Council Graduate Research Fellowship (1976 - 1978)
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Resident Fellow, Serra House, Stern Hall (1981 - 1983)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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Chair, University Senate Committee on Graduate Studies (2009 - 2012)
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Vice Chair, History Department, Stanford University (2003 - 2007)
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Editor, Journal of African History (2000 - 2005)
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Directeur d'Etudes, Ecole des Hautes Etudes in Sciences Sociales, Paris, one month appointment (1991 - 1991)
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Publication Reviewer, International Journal of African Historical Studies
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Publication Reviewer, Labour/Le Travailleur
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Publication Reviewer, Canadian Journal of African Studies
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Publication Reviewer, African Economic History
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Publication Reviewer, Journal of African History
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Publication Reviewer, American Historical Review
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Publication Reviewer, Journal of Economic History
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Publication Reviewer, Agricultural History
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Publication Reviewer, Newsday
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Publication Reviewer, History Today
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Member, Martin A. Klein Book Prize in Africa History, American Historical Association (2012 - Present)
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Editorial Advisory Board, Member, African Studies Series, Cambridge University Press (2007 - Present)
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Editorial Advisory Board, Member, The Journal of African History (2000 - 2010)
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Board of Directors, Member, African Studies Association (1998 - 2001)
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Co-editor, Journal of Legal Pluralism (1998 - 2011)
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Associate Editor, Encyclopedia of World History, Vlth edition, Houghton-Miflin
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Co-editor, African Economic History (1987 - 1992)
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Manuscript Reviewer, Journal of African History
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Manuscript Reviewer, International Journal of African Studies
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Manuscript Reviewer, Africa
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Manuscript Reviewer, Canadian Journal of African Studies
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Manuscript Reviewer, African Economic History
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Manuscript Reviewer, Law and Society Review
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Manuscript Reviewer, University of Wisconsin
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Manuscript Reviewer, Ohio University Press
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Manuscript Reviewer, Indiana University Press
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Manuscript Reviewer, Cambridge University Press
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Manuscript Reviewer, University of California Press
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Manuscript Reviewer, Westview
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Manuscript Reviewer, Heinemann
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Reviewer, proposals, National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Translations (1983 - Present)
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Member, selection committee for postdoctoral fellowships, ACLS (1990 - 1991)
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Member, selection committee for postdoctoral fellowships, ACLS (2012 - 2013)
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Member, African History search committee, University of California, Berkeley (1989 - 1991)
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Chair, Senate Committee on Graduate Studies, Stanford University (2009 - 2012)
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Chair, History Department Faculty Appointments Committee, Stanford University (2008 - 2012)
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Chair, African Humanities Search Committee, Stanford University (2003 - 2004)
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Director, History Department Summer School Program, Stanford University (2001 - 2007)
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Director, Center for African Studies, Stanford University (1991 - 1993)
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Director, Center for African Studies, Stanford University (1994 - 1999)
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Director, Center for African Studies, Stanford University (2000 - 2007)
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Director, Center for African Studies, Stanford University (2008 - 2011)
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Director, History Graduate Studies Committee, Stanford University (1995 - 1998)
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Director of Graduate Teaching, History, Stanford University (1998 - 2011)
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Senate Teaching Assistant Oversight Committee, Stanford University (1998 - 2008)
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Co-chair, Empires and Cultures Workshop, Stanford University (1995 - 1997)
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Co-chair, Empires and Cultures Workshop, Stanford University (1998 - Present)
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Chair, African Humanities Faculty Search Committee, Stanford University (1992 - 1993)
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Member, Humanities and Sciences Curriculum Advisory Committee, Stanford University (1991 - 1995)
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Co-chair, South African Faculty Initiatives Committee, Stanford University (1991 - 2003)
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Member, African Studies Committee, Stanford University (1980 - Present)
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Coordinator, African Social History Workshop/ African Studies Faculty Seminar, Stanford University (1983 - 2006)
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Member, Committee on Faculty Initiatives on Southern Africa, Stanford University (1988 - Present)
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Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of History, Stanford University (1990 - 1992)
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Member, Department of History, Policy Committee, Stanford University (1989 - 1990)
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Member, Department of History, Policy Committee, Stanford University (1995 - 1997)
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Member, Department of History, Policy Committee, Stanford University (2000 - 2001)
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Member, Search committee, director of African and Afro-American Studies Program, Stanford University (1989 - 1990)
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Faculty supervisor of HUGSA, Department of History the undergraduate history association, Stanford University (1988 - 1990)
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Member, Department of History, Mellon postdoctoral fellowship committee, Stanford University (1985 - 1985)
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Coordinator of graduate teaching, Department of History, Stanford University (1984 - 1987)
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Member, Department of History, committee on undergraduate studies, Stanford University (1982 - 1983)
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Co-coordinator, Joint Stanford-Berkeley Center for African Studies annual meeting, Stanford University (1982 - 1982)
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Member, Center for Research in International Studies, fellowship committee, Stanford University (1981 - 1983)
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Member, Center for Research in International Studies, fellowship committee, Stanford University (1984 - 1986)
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Faculty secretary, Department of History, Stanford University (1981 - 1982)
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Member, African Studies Association (1975 - Present)
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Member, Canadian Association of African Studies (1975 - 1985)
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Member, Canadian Association of African Studies (1999 - Present)
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Member, American Historical Association (1984 - Present)
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Member, Association for Concerned African Scholars (1984 - Present)
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Member, Manding Studies Association (1986 - Present)
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Member, Law and Society Association (1995 - Present)
Program Affiliations
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Center for Human Rights and International Justice
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Modern Thought and Literature
Professional Education
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BA., University of Wisconsin, Madison (1970)
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MA., Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia (1973)
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Ph.D., University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (1978)
2023-24 Courses
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Independent Studies (5)
- Curricular Practical Training
HISTORY 299F (Sum) - Graduate Independent Study
MTL 398 (Sum) - Qualifying Paper
MTL 390 (Sum) - Reading for Orals
MTL 399 (Sum) - Undergraduate Directed Research and Writing
HISTORY 299S (Spr)
- Curricular Practical Training
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Prior Year Courses
2022-23 Courses
- African Encounters with Colonialism
HISTORY 345B (Win) - Research Seminar in African History
HISTORY 445A (Spr) - Research Workshop
AFRICAST 302 (Spr)
2021-22 Courses
- Africa in the Era of the Slave Trade
HISTORY 345A (Aut) - Colonial States and African Societies, Part I
HISTORY 448A (Win) - Colonial States and African Societies, Part II
HISTORY 448B (Spr) - Research Workshop
AFRICAST 302 (Spr)
- African Encounters with Colonialism
Stanford Advisees
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Doctoral Dissertation Reader (AC)
Gloria Chikaonda -
Orals Evaluator
Ozgul Ozdemir, Adele Stock -
Doctoral Dissertation Co-Advisor (AC)
Ozgul Ozdemir, Caryce Tirop -
Doctoral (Program)
Ozgul Ozdemir, Caryce Tirop
All Publications
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SLAVERY, THE END OF SLAVERY, AND THE INTENSIFICATION OF WORK IN THE FRENCH SOUDAN, 1883-1912
AFRICAN ECONOMIC HISTORY
2021; 49 (1): 47-72
View details for DOI 10.1353/aeh.2021.0002
View details for Web of Science ID 000652518300003
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Viral video 'blood chocolate' activism, millennial anti-trafficking, and the neoliberal resurgence of shaming
SLAVERY & ABOLITION
2019; 40 (1): 168–98
View details for DOI 10.1080/0144039X.2018.1475272
View details for Web of Science ID 000458314200008
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Colonial Suspects: Suspicion, Imperial Rule, and Colonial Society in Interwar French West Africa (Book Review)
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORICAL STUDIES
2019; 52 (2): 329–30
View details for Web of Science ID 000492445800008
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Gender, Justice, and the Problem of Culture: From Customary Law to Human Rights in Tanzania (Book Review)
AFRICAN STUDIES REVIEW
2018; 61 (2): 258–60
View details for DOI 10.1017/asr.2018.20
View details for Web of Science ID 000436119000021
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COERCED LABOR IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY AFRICA
CAMBRIDGE WORLD HISTORY OF SLAVERY, VOL 4 AD 1804-AD 2016
2017: 583–609
View details for Web of Science ID 000446209100026
- Law, Crime, and Punishment Oxford Handbook of African History edited by Parker, J., Reids, R. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013: 171–88
- A Case of Kidnapping and Child Trafficking in Senegal, 1916 African Voices on Slavery and the Slave Trade edited by Bellagamba, A., Greene, S. E., Klein, M. A. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2013: 404–13
- The End of Slavery, "Crises" over Trafficking, and the Colonial State in the French Soudan Trafficking in Slavery's Wake Athens, Oh: Ohio University Press. 2012: 1–25
- Introduction: Contextualizing Trafficking in Women and Children in Africa Trafficking in Slavery's Wake: The Experience of Women and Children Athens, Oh: Ohio University Press. 2012: 1–25
- Trafficking in Slavery's Wake: Law and the Experience of Women and Children in Africa The New African Histories edited by Roberts, R., Lawrance, B. University of Ohio Press. 2012
- Africa and Empire: The Unintended Consequences Festschrift for A. G. Hopkins edited by Falola, T. Rochester: Rochester University Press. 2011: 399–415
- Domestic Violence and the Law in Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives The New African Histories edited by Roberts, R., Burrill, E., Thornberry, E. University of Ohio Press. 2010
- Muslim Family Law in Sub-Saharan Africa: Colonial Legacies and Postcolonial Challenges edited by Roberts, R., Moosa, E., Jeppie, S. University of Amsterdam Press. 2010
- Domestic Violence and the Law in Africa Domestic Violence and the Law in Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives edited by Roberts, R., Burrill, E., Thornberry, E. Ohio University Press. 2010: 1–29
- Domestic Violence, Colonial Courts, and the End of Slavery in the French Soudan, 1905-1912 Domestic Violence and the Law in Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives edited by Roberts, R., Burrill, E. Ohio University Press. 2010: 33–53
- Women, Household Instability, and the End of Slavery in Banamba and Gumbu, French Soudan, 1905- 1912 Women and Slavery in Honour of Sue Miers edited by Campbell, G., Miers, S. Athen, OH: Ohio University Press. 2007: 281–305
- African Intermediaries and the 'Bargain' of Collaboration Intermediaries, Interpreters and Clerks: African Employees in the Making of Modern Africa edited by Roberts, R., Lawrance, B., Osborn, E. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 2006: 3–34
- Intermediaries, Interpreters and Clerks: African Employees in the Making of Modern Africa edited by Roberts, R., Lawrance, B., Osborn, E. University of Wisconsin Press. 2006
- Litigants and Households: African Disputes and Colonial Courts in the French Soudan, 1895-1912 Social History in African Series Heinemann. 2005
- Gender and Emancipation in the French Soudan Gender and Emancipation in Comparative Perspective edited by Paton, D., Scully, P. Durham: Duke University Press. 2005: 162–80
- Sub-Saharan Africa Encyclopedia of World History edited by Stearns, P. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin. 2001; Vlth
- The End of Slavery, Colonial Courts, and Social Conflict in Gumbu, 1908-1911 Canadian Journal of African Studies 2000; 34 (3): 684-713
- On Slavery and Islam in African History: A Tribute to Martin Klein Canadian Journal of African Studies 2000; 34 (3)
- Introduction to On Slavery and Islam in African History: A Tribute to Martin Klein (Book Review) Canadian Journal of African Studies 2000; 34: 497-511
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History and memory: The power of statist narratives
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORICAL STUDIES
2000; 33 (3): 513-522
View details for Web of Science ID 000172014000001
- Representation, Structure, and Agency: Divorce in the French Soudan at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Journal of African History 1999; 40 (3): 389-410
- Women's Work and Women's Property: Household Social Relations and the Maraka Textile Industry in the 19th Century Women in Business edited by Yeager, M. A. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. 1999
- The Construction of Cultures in Diasporas: African and African New World Experiences Diaspora and Immigration, special issue of The South Atlantic Quarterly 1999; 98 (1-2): 177-90
- Law in Colonial Africa African Social History edited by Roberts, R., Mann, K. Heinemann/Currey. 1998
- "The End of Slavery in Africa" and "Modern Slavery in Africa" Encyclopedia of Slavery edited by Finkelman, P., Miller, J. 1998
- The Possibilities of Precolonial West African History (Book Review) Canadian Journal of African Studies 1998; 32 (1): 162-173
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Conflicts over property in the Middle Niger Valley at the beginning of the 20th-century
AFRICAN ECONOMIC HISTORY
1997: 79-96
View details for Web of Science ID 000070698000005
- Property, Colonialism, and Conflicts in Africa African Economic History 1997; 25
- Two Worlds of Cotton: Colonialism and the Regional Economy in the French Soudan, 1800-1946 Stanford University Press. 1996
- West Africa and the Pondicherry Textile Industry Cloth and Commerce: Textiles in Colonial India edited by Roy, T. New Dehli: Sage Publications. 1996: 142–174
- Adding Teaching to the 'Job Talk': A Report from the Stanford History Depattment AAHE Bulletin 1996; 49 (3): 2-6
- The Pedagogical Colloquium: Focusing on Teaching in the Hiring Process in the Stanford University History Department Making Teaching Community Property: A Menu for Peer Collaboration and Peer Review edited by Hutchings, P. 1996: 83–85
- Cotton, Colonialism, and Social History in Sub-Saharan Africa African Social History edited by Roberts, R., Isaacman, A. Heinemann/Currey. 1995
- West Africa in the Nineteenth Century Guide to Historical Literature 1995
- The Segu Bambara State Encyclopedia of Sub-Saharan Africa American Historical Association. 1995
- Samori Turé Encyclopedia of Sub-Saharan Africa American Historical Association. 1995
- Cotton, Colonialism, and Social History in Sub-Saharan Africa: Introduction Cotton, Colonialism, and Social History in Sub-Saharan Africa edited by Roberts, R. Heinemann. 1995: 1–42
- The Coercion of Free Markets: Cotton, Peasants, and the Colonial State in the French Soudan, 1924- 32 Cotton, Colonialism, and Social History in Sub-Saharan Africa edited by Roberts, R. Heinemann. 1995: 221–246
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WEST-AFRICA AND THE PONDICHERRY TEXTILE-INDUSTRY
INDIAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL HISTORY REVIEW
1994; 31 (2): 117-145
View details for Web of Science ID A1994PA74200001
- Teaching Non-Western Histmy at Stanford Learning History in America: Schools, Cultures, and Politics edited by Kramer, L., Reid, D., Barney, W. University of Minnesota Press. 1994: 53–70
- Pawning in French West Africa during the Depression Pawnship in Africa edited by Lovejoy, P., Falola, T. Westview Press. 1994: 303–320
- Colonialism and Customary Law in Africa: A Response to Leslye Obiora Legal Studies Forum 1993; XVII (3): 253-59
- The 'World Outside the West' Course Sequence at Stanford University Teaching History: Innovations in Teaching Long Beach: The University Press. 1993: 215–22
- Guinee Cloth: Linked Transformations within France's Empire in the Nineteenth Century Cahiers d'Etudes Africaines: XXXII 1992: 597-627
- Introduction: Law in Colonial Africa Law in Colonial Africa James Currey. 1991: 3–58
- Law in Colonial Africa African Social History edited by Roberts, R., Mann, K. Heinemann/Currey. 1991
- The 'World Outside the West' Course Sequence at Stanford University Perspectives 1991; 3
- The Jurisdiction of Muslim Tribunals in Colonial Senegal Law in Colonial Africa James Currey. 1991: 131–145
- The Case of Faama Mademba Sy and the Ambiguities of Legal Jurisdiction in Early Colonial French Soudan Law in Colonial Africa James Currey. 1991: 185–201
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TEXT AND TESTIMONY IN THE TRIBUNAL-DE-PREMIERE-INSTANCE, DAKAR, DURING THE EARLY 20TH-CENTURY
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY
1990; 31 (3): 447-463
View details for Web of Science ID A1990EJ67700006
- Introduction: Listening for the Silences History in Africa 1990; XVII: 319-25
- Reversible Social Processes, Historical Memory, and the Production of History History in Africa Vol: XVII 1990: 341-349
- Text and Testimony in the Tribunal de premiere instance, Dakar, during the early Twentieth Century Journal of Africa History Vol: XXXI 1990: 447-63
- The End of Slavery in the French Soudan, 1905-1914 The End of Slavery in Africa University Wisconsin Press. 1988: 282–307
- The End of Slavery in Africa edited by Roberts, R., Miers, S. University of Wisconsin Press. 1988
- Introduction: The End of Slavery in Africa The End of Slavery in Africa University Wisconsin Press. 1988: 3–68
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FRENCH COLONIALISM, IMPORTED TECHNOLOGY, AND THE HANDICRAFT TEXTILE-INDUSTRY IN THE WESTERN SUDAN, 1898-1918
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
1987; 47 (2): 461-472
View details for Web of Science ID A1987H813600013
- Warriors, Merchants, and Slaves: The State and the Economy in the Middle Niger Valley, 1712-1914 Stanford University Press. 1987
- Pawning in French West Africa during the Depression African Economic History 1987; XVI: 23 - 37
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THE RESURGENCE OF PAWNING IN FRENCH-WEST-AFRICA DURING THE DEPRESSION OF THE 1930S
AFRICAN ECONOMIC HISTORY
1987: 23-37
View details for Web of Science ID A1987N195800002
- Africa in the 20th Century African History: Selected Reading Lists and Course Outlines from American Colleges and Universities edited by Smith, D. Markus Weiner. 1986
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WOMENS WORK AND WOMENS PROPERTY, HOUSEHOLD SOCIAL-RELATIONS IN THE MARAKA TEXTILE-INDUSTRY OF THE 19TH-CENTURY
COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN SOCIETY AND HISTORY
1984; 26 (2): 229-250
View details for Web of Science ID A1984SP49200002
- The Bambara Muslim Peoples Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. 1984; 2: 97–101
- Women's Work and Women's Property: Household Social Relations and the Maraka Textile Industry in the 19th Century Comparative Studies in Society and History, XXVI 1984: 229–50
- Uneven Development of Studies on Capitalism in Africa Canadian Journal of African Studies 1983; XVII (1): 125-27
- The Peculiarities of African Labour and Working Class History Labour/Le Travailleur 1982: 317-33
- Fishing for the State: Political Economy of the Middle Niger Valley Modes of Production in Africa edited by Stewart, C. C., Crummey, D. 1981: 175–203
- Ideology, Slavery and Social Formation: The Evolution of Maraka Slavery in the Middle Niger Valley Ideology of Slavery in Africa edited by Lovejoy, P. 1981: 171–99
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PRODUCTION AND REPRODUCTION OF WARRIOR STATES - SEGU-BAMBARA AND SEGU-TOKOLOR, C.1712-1890
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORICAL STUDIES
1980; 13 (3): 389-419
View details for Web of Science ID A1980LC01800001
- The Emergence of a Grain Market in Bamako, 1883-1905 Canadian Journal of African Studies 1980; XIV (1): 37-54
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ECOLOGICALLY SPECIALIZED TRADE AND ECONOMIC-GROWTH - A REPLY
CAHIERS D ETUDES AFRICAINES
1980; 20 (1-2): 177-180
View details for Web of Science ID A1980LW25600012
- Warfare, Technology, and the State Canadian Journal of African Studies 1980; XIV (2): 334-40
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LONG-DISTANCE TRADE AND PRODUCTION - SINSANI IN THE 19TH-CENTURY
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY
1980; 21 (2): 169-188
View details for Web of Science ID A1980JZ37400002
- Linkages and Multiplier Effects in the Ecologically Specialized Trade of Precolonial West Africa Cahiers d'Etudes Africaines 1980; XX (77-78): 135-48
- The Banamba Slave Exodus and the Decline of Slavery in the Western Sudan Journal of African History 1980; XXI (3): 375-94