ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the development of the liberated lifestyle while focusing on the economic determinants of ethnic identity. During the nineteenth century, ethnicity was not a limiting factor; instead, occupation became the important issue in determining ethnic identity. During the twentieth century, Krio women were forced to turn away from trading to the professions. These new occupations isolated Krio women from other African groups and, for those Provincial women interested in trading, Krio identity grew less appealing. Thus, the boundary between Krio and Provincial became more rigid. As Paul Lovejoy asserts, "ethnicity was a product of participation in a dynamic economy". But it would be an error to suppose that the interior women who opted for Sierra Leonean identity completely relinquished their hinterland identities. Krios have been criticized for forsaking commerce for the professions and losing their economic position in Sierra Leone.
