Born into Bondage? Iklan Lives along the Rural-Urban Continuum (Tuareg, Sahel)

ABSTRACT This article considers the predicament of a low-status Tuareg woman living close by her former master’s family in rural central Niger in 2010; for the family, she maintained the status of taklit (“slave descendant,” feminine singular of iklan), somewhere along the spectrum between paid family servant and domestic slave. Analysis focuses on why she and so many like her have not managed to improve their life chances by moving to town, despite the Nigerien ban on slavery. Relevant factors include her lack of a family support network, the continued impact of prejudice against former slaves, a fear of possibly worsening her economic standing via such a move, and the strong moral compulsion of ordained gender roles in contemporary Sahelian cities. Former mistresses/masters also resisted the departure of women like her from wealthy herding households because of their housework contribution and their crucial role in producing the next generation of workers.