Books published by Dar es Salaam University Press

The topic of African moral economy was first raised by Goran Hyden in 1980 as one of the main obstacles to economic transformation of the African peasantry. The suggestion caused serious academic debates between the proposer and other scholars on African societies, especially those using political economy as the framework of their analysis. But Hyden continued to defend his thesis until interest in the debate faded out. More recently Japanese scholars have taken up the topic as it appears to have new relevance in comparison with the fast transformations which have taken place in Southeast Asian rural communities. The focus of this book is to give a detailed comparison between African rural communities and those of Southeastern Asia. Attention is focused on the two main aspects of African peasantry life: the right to subsistence and the norm of reciprocity. A wide interdisciplinary approach is employed to demonstrate the dynamism displayed by these societies.

The modern history of Bagamoyo begins with the period 1830-1840, when Zanzibar was established as the capital of the Oman Sultanate and subsequently, the slave and ivory trades intensified. However trade and cultural interactions between the coast and the interior had existed before 1800. In 2001, archaeological works began for the first time at caravan-serai in the Bagamoyo historical area. The reasons for the excavation were to provide knowledge about the background and function of the site as a depository for slaves.