People and Production in Late Precolonial Tanzania – History and Structures

Abstract

Describes the social and economic systems in precolonial Tanzania, and assesses their functioning and the level of material welfare they produced. Reviews the forces and process of historical change, distinguishing a slow "endogenous" development process from the quite recent "opening up" of the East African interior and its integration into the world market. Discusses the most significant effects of trade-induced changes: the growth of slavery and porterage, and the intensification of war, famine, and pestilence. Taking a more structural approach, defines the main social units in the area, not tribes or ethnic groups, but "societies," and looks at how these "societies" were affected by the most recent changes. Examines the processes and relations of production and of reproduction, and the changes that took place in them. Addresses the question of developmental levels and potentialities of Tanzanian precolonial societies. Koponen is with the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Helsinki. Bibliography; index.