http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/28678033

Mombasa, the Swahili and the making of the Mijikenda

In this radical reinterpretation of the history of the Kenyan port city of Mombasa and its local hinterland, Justin Willis re-examines the role which the people now known as the Mijikenda played in Mombasa's development from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1930s. Dr Willis explores the institutions and social networks which both united and divided the people of the region in the nineteenth century. He traces the development of these institutions under British rule, when the demands of the colonial economy caused officials to attempt a social and physical restructuring of Mombasa; and shows how these attempts contributed to a re-making of ethnic identity on the coast. Based on thorough archival research and extensive interviewing, and incorporating the findings of other recent historical and anthropological work, this book offers valuable insights into the nature of ethnic identity, and makes an important contribution to the growing body of scholarly work on the African city.

Open All Close All