In one small village in western Sudan local political struggles over power and resources are enmeshed in discursive struggles over representations of gender, ethnicity, class and community. Analysis of two specific conflicts illustrates this point. In one conflict over control of a village grain co-operative some villagers sought to exclude women, West African immigrants and the poor from participating in political decision-making. In a second conflict over a roadside market these same villagers, empowered by the divisive rhetoric and policies of the National Islamic Front regime, again mobilised dominant representations of class, gender and ethnicity in an attempt to prevent marginal groups from gaining economic advantage. In both cases, villagers translated national discourses in different ways, refracting ideology to meet their specific local interests. These conflicts and fractured discourses epitomise the process of civil breakdown that has marked the tenure of the NIF regime.

The study of phenomena relating to identity has prompted new approaches to the subject on the part of historians as well as anthropologists. They include the study of ethnicity, a dynamic combination of socio-economic, religious, cultural and political factors. In this regard the population of Freetown is particularly interesting, for it stems from several discrete migrations from the end of the eighteenth century onwards. Some of the immigrants came direct from the African continent, ‘Liberated Africans’ disembarked on the Sierra Leone peninsula, while others, formerly slaves, came from the UK, North America or the West Indies. The result of this diversity of origin was the formation of a very rich and specific society, with a mixture of European, African and West Indian characteristics. Among the town dwellers are those called successively Sierra Leoneans, Creoles and Krio.

Since the 1950s several studies have focused on these people. After a polemical article published in 1977, new research was undertaken. Krio identity, which is at the same time a historical theme and politically contested territory, remains at the heart of the debate. In this article, emphasis is placed on terminology, to address the question of ‘ethnicity’ as applied to those known as Creoles. What were they called by administrators or historians (past and present)? What did they call themselves? How did they react to the various attempts at categorisation? How did the names, which are the visible aspect of ethnicity, evolve? What did the terms really mean and how can one move from a given name to the object it represents? These questions take into account several points of view, from within Krio/Creole society and from outside it.

Cet article contribue aux récents dialogues en antropologie et humanités africaines sur la traduction problématique et l'application des concepts occidentaux et non-occidentaux d'esthétique, par exemple, “authentique”, “original” et “touristique”, dans le domaine des pratiques artisanales. Il analyse, compare et contraste le patronage artistique parmi les Touaregs Nigériens dans des contextes sociaux ruraux et urbains. Le rôle du “forgeron” chez les Touaregs, un mot traduit de façon diverse dans les conversations locales et la littérature ethnographique, par “artisan”, “technicien”, et “bijoutier”, suggère le besoin de réviser les différentes perspectives culturelles sur les aspects céremoniaux, esthétiques et commerciaux de l'activité artisanale.

Cet article se concentre sur les rôles changeants, le matériel que les artisans utilisent, et les croyances qui entourent les forgerons. Il soutient que ces actions et ces croyances complexes n'ont pas seulement une influence sur les produits artistiques mais aussi sur les processus socio-économiques auxquels les producteurs, la clientèle, et le public contribue dans des milieux et contextes différents.