Emancipation Without Abolition in German East Africa, C. 1884-1914

ISBN-13: 9780821417195 / Angielski / Twarda / 2006 / 276 str.

Jan-Georg Deutsch

Opis

This study examines the complex history of slavery in EastAfrica, focusing on the area that came under German colonial rule.In contrast to the policy pursued at the time by other colonial powersin Africa, the German authorities did not legally abolish slavery in theircolonial territories. However, despite government efforts to keep the institutionof slavery alive, it significantly declined in Tanganyika in the periodconcerned. The book highlights the crucial role played by the slaves in theprocess of emancipation.Author Jan-Georg Deutsch explores the rise of slavery in Tanganyika in thesecond half of the nineteenth century, when the region became more fullyintegrated into the world economy.An analysis of German colonial policy reveals that the authorities believedthat abolition should be avoided at all costs since it would undermine thepower and prosperity of the local slave-owning elites whose effective collaborationwas thought to be indispensable to the functioning of colonial rule.The author demonstrates how slaves by their own initiative brought the evilinstitution to an end, making the best of limited choices and opportunitiesavailable to them."