Explores the complexities of France's role in Africa over the past century

Introduction - Tony Chafer and Alexander KeesePart I: Zero hour approaches1. Gaston Defferre's Loi-Cadre and its application, 1956-57: last chance for a French African 'empire-state' or blueprint for decolonisation? - Martin Shipway2. A Vocation for Independence: Guinean Nationalism in the 1950s - Mairi MacDonald3. French officials and the insecurities of change in sub-Saharan Africa: Dakar, 19 August 1960 re-visited - Alexander KeesePart II: Military transitions4. 'Saving French West Africa': The French army, African soldiers and military propaganda during the 1950s - Ruth Ginio5. The French Army and Malian Independence (1956-1961) - Vincent Joly6. Transfer of Military Power in Mauritania: From Ecouvillon to Lamentin (1956-1978) - Camille EvrardPart III: Continuities and Connections7. Franco-African Security Relations at Fifty: Writing Violence, Security, and the Geopolitical Imaginary - Bruno Charbonneau8. French coopération in the field of education (1960-1980): A story of disillusionment - Samy Mesli9. Jacques Foccart: Éminence grise for African affairs - Jean-Pierre BatPart IV: Anglo-French Relations10. Whitehall, the French Community and the Year of Africa: Negotiating post-independence diplomacy in West Africa - Mélanie Torrent11. A Transnational Decolonisation: Britain, France and the Rhodesian Problem, 1965-1969 - Joanna WarsonPart V: Nationalist trajectories, border issues and conflicted memories12. The Changing Boundaries of Resistance: The UPC and France in Cameroonian History and Memory - Thomas Sharp13. A fragmented and forgotten decolonisation: The end of European empires in the Sahara and their legacy - Berny Sèbe14. Through the prism of the cinquantenaire: Côte d'Ivoire between refondation and Houphouët's legacy - Kathrin Heitz15. Chad's political violence at 50: Bullets, ballots and bases - David StyanIndex