Slaves, Spices and Ivory in Zanzibar: Integration of an East African Commercial Empire into the World Economy, 1770-1873

by Abdul Sheriff

Overview

The rise of Zanzibar was based on two major economic transformations. Firstly slaves became used for producing cloves and grains for export. Previously the slaves themselves were exported.

Secondly, there was an increased international demand for luxuries such as ivory. At the same time the price of imported manufactured gods was falling. Zanzibar took advantage of its strategic position to trade as far as the Great Lakes.

However this very economic success increasingly subordinated Zanzibar to Britain, with its anti-slavery crusade and its control over the Indian merchant class.

Professor Sheriff analyses the early stages of the underdevelopment of East Africa and provides a corrective to the dominance of political and diplomatic factors in the history of the area.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780821440216
Publisher:	Ohio University Press
Publication date:	09/30/1987
Series:	Eastern African Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	317
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Abdul Sheriff is a professor of history at the University of Dar es Salaam and the author of The History and Conservation of Zanzibar Stone Town and coeditor of Zanzibar under Colonial Rule. He is also the principal curator of Zanzibar Museums.

Table of Contents

Cover Series Page Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface Illustrations Maps, Graphs and Tables Abbreviations Glossary Currency and Weights Introduction: The Commercial Empire One: The Rise of a Compradorial State The mercantile civilisation of the Swahili coast Portuguese intervention The transformation of Oman The subjugation of the Swahili coast Conclusion Two: The Transformation of the Slave Sector The northern slave trade The French slave trade and the re-subjugation of Kilwa, 1770-1822 The genesis of the slave system of production in Zanzibar, 1810-1840s The development of the slave system on the northern coast Three: Commercial Expansion and the Rise of the Merchant Class The ivory trade to the end of the eighteenth century The genesis of the Indian mercantile class The expansion of foreign trade The dynamo of merchant accumulation Conclusion Four: The Structure of the Commercial Empire The entrepot Economic dependence The capital: planter town or commercial centre? Five: The Hinterland of Zanzibar The southern hinterland The northern hinterland The core of the commercial empire The moving frontier Where the flag did not follow trade Six: The Empire Undermined The subordination of the Indian merchant class The dismemberment of the Omani kingdom The nationalist reaction: accession of Barghash The slave trade under attack ‘I have come to dictate' Conclusion A: Bombay trade with East Africa, 1801/2-1869/70 B: Prices of ivory and merekani sheeting, 1802/3-1873/4 C: Ivory imports into the United Kingdom, 1792-1875 Sources Index

Editorial Reviews

"This long-awaited study by Abdul Sheriff adds significant richness in both its wealth of detail and meticulous analysis to our understanding of the rise of Omani Zanzibar and its changing place in the world economy. His prodigious archival research combines with his critical approach to Marxist theory to produce a convincing and stimulating interpretation of this critically important state during a major period of transition in the history of Eastern Africa."--Professor Edward A. Alpers of the University of California, Los Angeles

From the Publisher