Читать книгу Slaves, Spices and Ivory in Zanzibar - Abdul Sheriff - Страница 2

Reviews of

Slaves, Spices & Ivory in Zanzibar by Abdul Sheriff

‘. . . a most important contribution to historiography, providing very rich funds of evidence and seeking to harness them with theory . . .’ Marcia Wright in African Economic History

‘Slaves, spices and ivory has considerable strengths. There are important insights and revisions derived from Sheriff’s attention to economic detail and from his use of a wide range of carefully collated sources. The slave trade figures are corrected downwards for the nineteenth century and the point is made that earlier estimates were based on self-serving British sources. The commercial linkages between Zanzibar and its hinterland are clarified.’

Richard Waller in The Historical Review

‘Sheriff’s book deserves a wide audience and careful study.’

Frederick Cooper The Journal of Peasant Studies

‘For most readers the main value of Sheriff’s work will probably still lie in its richly documented narrative of the transformations in Zanzibar’s economy from an outpost of Omani trade to a centre of its own commercial empire and plantation system, subjected to continual intervention from the informal overlordship of Britain. Sheriff not only tells us a good deal about Zanzibar and its well-known Omani and British ties, but also provides excellent accounts of the island’s relationships with the rest of the Persian Gulf, the French plantations of the Indian Ocean, India, the United States, and the interior of East Africa. In addition to the text, his book contains extensive statistical information and, surprisingly in this age of barebones publication, a large number of valuable illustrations.’ Ralph A. Austen in The Journal of African History

‘Professor Sheriff’s book on the rise and fall of the commercial empire of Zanzibar is an immensely satisfying one. It is both elegantly written and vigorously argued. The study, based on scrupulous historical research and an incisive use of Marxist theory, succeeds in illuminating the major transformations which were occurring on the East African coast and its hinterland during the nineteenth century . . . it is in every respect an admirable book.’

Nigel Penn in The Journal of Southern African History

‘Presented a well-researched, provocative look at economic development and imperialism in Zanzibar. It is highly recommended.’

Calvin H. Allen Jr. in The Middle East Journal