Book contents
- On the Frontiers of the Indian Ocean World
- Cambridge Oceanic Histories
- On the Frontiers of the Indian Ocean World
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Note on the Text
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Demarcations of Space
- Part II Interactions
- 4 Competition and Conflict on the Western Frontier
- 5 Global Commodities in East African Societies
- 6 Structures of Bondage
- 7 An Islamic Sea
- Epilogue
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - Competition and Conflict on the Western Frontier
from Part II - Interactions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 July 2022
- On the Frontiers of the Indian Ocean World
- Cambridge Oceanic Histories
- On the Frontiers of the Indian Ocean World
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Note on the Text
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Demarcations of Space
- Part II Interactions
- 4 Competition and Conflict on the Western Frontier
- 5 Global Commodities in East African Societies
- 6 Structures of Bondage
- 7 An Islamic Sea
- Epilogue
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 4 examines relationships within coastal trader communities, focusing on Omani and Swahili populations. It traces the existence of factions whose roots lay in historical developments on the coast, and then sheds light on power shifts between them across coastal and inland regions. It argues that despite there being a ‘pioneer ethic’ that in some ways bound coastal traders, there was always an ‘undercurrent’ of competition and conflict, which became more robust as the period went on. Unlike at the coast, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, this ‘undercurrent’ was often manifested in violence. This was a symptom of the recency of coastal traders’ arrival in the region, a lack of formal institutions from the coast that followed them inland, and the highly competitive nature of ivory trading. Violence between coastal traders on the shores of Lake Tanganyika was the surface manifestation of deeper tectonics whose roots lay in the Indian Ocean World’s littoral core.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- On the Frontiers of the Indian Ocean WorldA History of Lake Tanganyika, c.1830-1890, pp. 121 - 147Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022