Dhows and the Colonial Economy of Zanzibar, 1860-1970: 1860-1970

by Erik Gilbert

Overview

Conventional history assumes that the rise of the steamship trade killed off the Indian Ocean dhow trade in the twentieth century. Erik Gilbert argues that the dhow economy played a major role in shaping the economic and social life of colonial Zanzibar. Dhows, and the regional trade they fostered, allowed a class of indigenous entrepreneurs to thrive in Zanzibar. These entrepreneurs, whose economic interests stretched across continents and colonial boundaries, were able to thwart or shape many of the colonial state's pet projects. Not only did steamships fail to drive out indigenous sailing craft, but in some cases dhows were able to drive the steamer out of specific market niches. In highlighting the role of East Africa's commercial connections to the Middle East and India during the colonial period, Dhows and the Colonial Economy of Zanzibar, 1860-1970 makes a major contribution to African history as part of world history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780821415580
Publisher:	Ohio University Press
Publication date:	02/15/2005
Series:	Eastern African Studies
Edition description:	1
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 16.20(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Erik Gilbert is an assistant professor of history at Arkansas State University.

Table of Contents

	List of Illustrations & Maps	vi
	Glossary	viii
	Preface	x
1	Introduction	1
2	The Dhow Trade in Nineteenth-century Zanzibar	21
3	The Creation of a Colonial Economy Dhows in a Changing World 1872-1914	59
4	Cloves, Dhows & Steamers The Twentieth-century Struggle Between the Official & Unofficial Economies in Zanzibar	84
5	Mangrove Poles & the Long-distance Dhow Trade in the Colonial Era	110
6	From Definitions to Deference An Overview of the Dhow Economy in Colonial Zanzibar	134
	Epilogue: Dhows in the Economy of Independent Zanzibar	161
	Bibliography	168
	Index	173

Editorial Reviews

"Dhows and the Colonial Economy of Zanzibar provides the most thorough discussion to date of the centrality of the dhow to Zanzibar's economic history. Generously illustrated and concisely written...provides a very readable accoun

"Essential reading for anyone interested in Indian Ocean trade or the limits of 'modernization' during the colonial era."--Laura Fair, The International History Review

"This agreeably written and copiously illustrated book deserves a wide audience, especially from maritime historians and those studying the East African coast."--Michael Pearson, International Journal of Maritime History

"Well-written, succinct...Clearly this volume is an excellent resource for scholars as well as a useful, thought-provoking text for any graduate or undergraduate seminar."--Catherine Cymone Fourshey, Itinerario

From the Publisher