From islands to territorial empire: The French colonial administration at Gorée and the environmental causes of continental expansion after the Seven Years War

After the Seven Years War, French colonial administration at Gorée Island was intended to protect the lucrative Caribbean slave trade while curbing continental expansion. However, environmental challenges and resource shortages on the island inadvertently fueled territorial ambitions in Senegal and beyond. This study reveals how logistical dependencies on the African mainland—driven by unreliable metropole provisioning and labor scarcity—clashed with official French imperial policy, leading to unintended continental expansion.

Røge, P. (2022). From islands to territorial empire: The French colonial administration at Gorée and the environmental causes of continental expansion after the Seven Years War. Coastal Studies & Society, 2(2), 171–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/26349817221138823