African Women's Histories in European Narratives

Yolanda Aixelà-Cabré is Senior Researcher in Anthropology at the IMF center of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research-CSIC, where she co-coordinates the Inclusive Societies Program and leads the R&D Project “Black Spain”.

'This work examines the roles in colonial and postcolonial contexts of Krio Fernandino women, highlighting their unique position as intermediaries between European colonizers and African societies and showcasing the intersectionality of their experiences as an elite African diaspora navigating colonial pressures and societal expectations. The book also addresses the erasure of African women’s histories in European narratives, emphasizing the need to decolonize perspectives by integrating African voices. Finally, it provides a detailed analysis of the impact of colonial legacies and the challenges of racialized migration in Europe.' – Max Doppelbauer, University of Vienna

• Chapter 1. African women’s histories in European narratives – Introduction 1.1. Premise 1.2. Hypothesis 1.3. Academic aims and state of the art 1.4. MethodologyChapter 2. Fernandino women in colonial Santa Isabel and independent Malabo 2.1. The African context and Europe: English and Spanish presence in Fernando Poo and Santa Isabel 2.2. The Krio Fernandino community and Amelia Barleycorn de Vivour 2.3. Everyday life in Santa Isabel 2.4. Tensions and conflicts: surviving under colonial repression 2.5. The connection between Malabo and Barcelona since 1968: Equatorial Guinean exile 2.6. Conclusions Chapter 3. The Fernandino in Barcelona during colonisation and post-independence 3.1. Barcelona and Santa Isabel 3.2. Amelia Barleycorn heading to Europe 3.3. Life in Barcelona 3.4. The Krio Fernandino: trade, health and social life 3.5. Barcelona, missionary actions and student intake aimed at Equatorial Guineans 3.6. Krio Fernandino intersectionality: class, gender and race 3.7. Spain’s collective amnesia post-1968 and the onset of racism during the 1990s 3.8. Conclusions Chapter 4. Decolonising the African past from a gender perspective 4.1. Amelia Barleycorn de Vivour v. Spanish Government (1911): marriage, nationality, gender and religion 4.2. Fernandino women: between bourgeois elitism and colonial power 4.3. The domestic service used by the Krio Fernandino community or how to (de)racialise class from intersectionality 4.4. The status and social presentation of the body as a formula of distinction Fernandino 4.5. Fernandino women mixing cultures and continents (Africa, America and Europe) 4.6. The impact of Spanish colonialism and Fernandino decline 4.7. Conclusion Chapter 5. A past forged in the present : the collective memory of Krio Fernandino women – Closing notes Notes Primary and secondary sources Primary sources Secondary sources Index