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4 - The Particularities of Place

Space, Identity, and the Coastal Rebellion of 1888–1890

from Part Two - Fitting into their Way of Life: Local Community and Colonial Control

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2019

Steven Fabian
Affiliation:
State University of New York
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Summary

Bagamoyo holds a central place in the history of the 1888 Coastal Rebellion as the site of the most violent and prolonged struggle of the entire episode. Examining events there, I consider two approaches which support spatial identity as an influential force: the organization of the uprising, in which the spatial attachments of the hinterland (Zaramo, Doe, and Kwere) and upcountry (Nyamwezi) peoples to the town play a role in influencing their solidarity with the townspeople; and how a framework that emphasizes the spatial origins of each group of rebels involved in the Bagamoyo uprising distinguishes between the different communities obfuscated by the broader category of Swahili society. Despite the far reaching presence of Swahili culture along the coastline, the Swahili were not simply interchangeable from one town to the next. I also investigate the level of violence used by the Germans along the coast to show how this was contingent on the local particularities of each place. Together these points highlight the need for considering the importance of place for explaining local behavior in the context of a widespread rebellion.

Type
Chapter
Information
Making Identity on the Swahili Coast
Urban Life, Community, and Belonging in Bagamoyo
, pp. 175 - 210
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • The Particularities of Place
  • Steven Fabian, State University of New York
  • Book: Making Identity on the Swahili Coast
  • Online publication: 28 October 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108590853.005
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  • The Particularities of Place
  • Steven Fabian, State University of New York
  • Book: Making Identity on the Swahili Coast
  • Online publication: 28 October 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108590853.005
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Particularities of Place
  • Steven Fabian, State University of New York
  • Book: Making Identity on the Swahili Coast
  • Online publication: 28 October 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108590853.005
Available formats
×