ABSTRACT
In 2014, the Maitron Afrique was published; it was the first “biographical dictionary of African mobilizations and protests.” This chapter points out and examines some of the issues involved in the making of this biographical dictionary. Drawing on the gray areas of the dictionary, the authors shed light on the empirical challenges, concepts, methodology, and timeframe the Maitron Afrique is based on. They expose the methodological challenge of locating biographical elements in archival sources; they open new avenues in the reflection on the uses of biography in the writing of the history of African struggles; and finally, they question the definition of activism as conceptualized in Western societies. Their reflection follows three paths: that of historical temporalities, that of ideologies, and finally that of the geographical space embraced by the Maitron Afrique. Rather than offering definitive answers to the problems raised, the authors critically reflect on the use of biography in the study of activism in Africa.
