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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Structural Characteristics of Underdevelopment in the Mafia Archipelago: An Historical Analysis
Author:Van Spengen, Wim
Year:1980
Periodical:Cahiers d'études africaines
Volume:20
Issue:79
Pages:331-353
Language:English
Geographic term:Tanzania
Subjects:economic history
wealth
plantations
Bibliography/Research
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
History and Exploration
External link:https://doi.org/10.3406/cea.1980.2339
Abstract:Purpose of the present article is to identify structural characteristics of a process of underdevelopment that lead to societal inequality within a micro-regional context. The example of the Mafia Archipelago, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean belonging to Tanzania, is taken as illustration. Section: power structure and colonial dominance - the Mafian setting - population history - pre-Omani Mafia - Omani overlordship and European control - structural characteristics of Mafian underdevelopment - socio-religious hierarchy - the plantation system as a mode of production - conclusion: colonial expansion, whether Arab or European, contributed to a dynamic process of underdevelopment, in the course of which socio-cultural inequalities were sharpened to the point where they started to translate themselves into economic inequalities. In addition, the plantation system as a relatively new mode of production to the East African coast proved to be a necessary structural condition in this respect. Maps, notes, ref., tab.
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