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Visual Symbols and Military Culture in Britain’s West African Colonial Army (c.1900–60)
International Journal of Military History and Historiography Pub Date : 2020-07-30 , DOI: 10.1163/24683302-20201034
Timothy Stapleton 1
Affiliation  

Visual symbols like uniforms, emblems and ceremonies became central in inventing British military culture among West African forces reflecting orientalist and ornamentalist interpretations of empire. While uniforms fostered military identity, the versions devised for West African soldiers reproduced racial stereotypes and military fashion trends. Granting insignia and Colours to West African units transformed them from simplistic paramilitaries to honoured members of the British imperial milieu. Colours served as ritual objects enabling West African forces to recreate pivotal cultural events of the British regimental system. The public presence of uniformed West African soldiers promoted a sense of imperial majesty that reinforced British rule. Travelling to Britain, West African troops participated in parades and exhibitions initially displaying the epic scale of the empire, but eventually these military visitors became symbols of colonial reform. With independence, Britain’s former colonies in West Africa retained Western-style military symbols altered to highlight republicanism and modernist aspirations.



中文翻译:

英国西非殖民军的视觉符号和军事文化(c.1900–60)

制服、徽章和仪式等视觉符号成为西非军队发明英国军事文化的核心,反映了东方主义和装饰主义对帝国的解释。虽然制服培养了军事身份,但为西非士兵设计的版本再现了种族刻板印象和军事时尚潮流。授予西非部队徽章和颜色使他们从简单的准军事人员转变为英帝国环境中的尊贵成员。颜色作为仪式对象,使西非军队能够重现英国军团系统的关键文化事件。身着制服的西非士兵的公开出现促进了一种帝国威严感,从而加强了英国的统治。去英国旅游,西非军队参加了游行和展览,最初展示了帝国的史诗规模,但最终这些军事访客成为了殖民改革的象征。随着独立,英国在西非的前殖民地保留了西式军事符号,以突出共和主义和现代主义的愿望。

更新日期:2020-07-30
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