Colonial Military Participation in Europe (Africa)

This article analyzes the deployment of about half a million African soldiers in Europe, where most of them fought in the French army. It first outlines the numbers and origins of African soldiers as well as the ways they were deployed in Europe. Then it explores Africans’ war experiences, their impact on colonial societies, and European perceptions of African troops, arguing that African military participation on European battlefields was a crucial experience both for Africans and Europeans. Nevertheless, the question of whether the deployment of Africans in Europe tightened or loosened colonial bonds has no simple answer.