Swahili Modernities: Culture, Politics and Identity on the East Coast of Africa

This book considers the themes of modernity, identity, and politics on the East African coast and islands. Currently, this area is undergoing rapid change as “globalization” makes its impact. Tourism, increased monetisation, emigration from and immigration to the area, and the varying policies of multinational agencies and local states are all significant factors. These chapters reveal some of the ways in which the Swahili seek to maintain their boundaries, even as they adapt their cultural practices to new realities.

Some of the specific issues addressed are the effects of recent economic and social changes in towns such as Bagamoyo and Malindi, the north and south of Mafia Island, and the Comoro Islands. The history of Zanzibar, long a multicultural society which underwent a revolution in 1964 and has recently once again experienced violent political confrontations, is also examined, especially within the context of the tensions which arise when ethnic differences are essentialized and politicized as they have been on Zanzibar.