Traders, big men and prophets: political continuity and crisis in the Maji Maji rebellion in Southeast Tanzania

Becker, Felicitas

Abstract

This article places the origins of the Maji Maji rebellion in Southeast Tanzania within the context of tensions between coast and interior, and between ‘big man’ leaders and their followers, which grew out of the expansion of trade and warfare in the second half of the nineteenth century. Without discounting its importance as a reaction against colonial rule, the paper argues that the rebellion was driven also by the ambitions of local leaders and by opposition to the expansion of indigenous coastal elites. The crucial role of the ‘Maji’ medicine as a means of mobilization indicates the vitality of local politics among the ‘stateless’ people of Southeast Tanzania.

Citation

Becker, F. (2004). Traders, big men and prophets: political continuity and crisis in the Maji Maji rebellion in Southeast Tanzania. The Journal of African History, 45(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021853703008545

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2004
• Deposit Date: Dec 9, 2007
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 24, 2022
• Journal: The Journal of African History
• Print ISSN: 0021-8537
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-5138
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 1-22
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021853703008545
• Additional Information: Additional Information : © Cambridge University Press