Slavery and emancipation in Islamic East Africa : from honor to respectability / Elisabeth McMahon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McMahon, Elisabeth, 1970- author.

Series:

African studies series ; 126.

African studies ; [126]

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Slavery--Africa, Eastern--History.

Slavery.

Slavery--Tanzania--Pemba--History.

Enslaved persons--Emancipation--Africa, Eastern--History.

Enslaved persons.

Enslaved persons--Emancipation--Tanzania--Pemba--History.

Slavery--Religious aspects--Islam.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxvi, 265 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Other Title:

Slavery & Emancipation in Islamic East Africa

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Examining the process of abolition on the island of Pemba off the East African coast in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this book demonstrates the links between emancipation and the redefinition of honour among all classes of people on the island. By examining the social vulnerability of ex-slaves and the former slave-owning elite caused by the abolition order of 1897, this study argues that moments of resistance on Pemba reflected an effort to mitigate vulnerability rather than resist the hegemonic power of elites or the colonial state. As the meaning of the Swahili word heshima shifted from honour to respectability, individuals' reputations came under scrutiny and the Islamic kadhi and colonial courts became an integral location for interrogating reputations in the community. This study illustrates the ways in which former slaves used piety, reputation, gossip, education, kinship and witchcraft to negotiate the gap between emancipation and local notions of belonging.

Contents:

Introduction

Mzuri Kwao and slavery in East Africa

Reputation and disputing in the courts

Reputation, heshima, and community

Changing landscapes of power

Mitigating vulnerability through kinship.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-107-32685-0

1-107-23642-8

1-107-53378-3

1-107-33253-2

1-139-19883-1

1-107-33329-6

1-107-33661-9

1-107-33495-0

1-299-25748-8

OCLC:

829459848