Title Details
288 Pages
21.6 x 13.8 cm
10 b/w, 4 line illus.
Series: Eastern African Studies
Imprint: James Currey
Swahili Origins
Swahili Culture and the Shungwaya Phenomenon
- Description
- Reviews
James de Vere Allen, who was curator at Lamu Museum, set out to give modern Swahili evidence of their shared history during a period of eight centuries.
Kiswahili has become the lingua franca of eastern Africa and yet the history of the Swahili peoples has remained elusive. Some have described themselves as Arabs, as Persians, or even in one place as Portuguese. This book is Jamesde Vere Allen's major study of the origin of the Swahili peoples and their cultural identity.
North America: Ohio U Press; Kenya: EAEP
Kiswahili has become the lingua franca of eastern Africa and yet the history of the Swahili peoples has remained elusive. Some have described themselves as Arabs, as Persians, or even in one place as Portuguese. This book is Jamesde Vere Allen's major study of the origin of the Swahili peoples and their cultural identity.
North America: Ohio U Press; Kenya: EAEP
"An essential volume for Swahili specialists: a challenging book for many other Africanists... [de Vere Allen's] influence on our understanding of the history of the East African coast has been enormous...His knowledge of the documentary sources on coastal history was breathtaking and the book is a bibliographical treasure-trove... -" Justin Willis, AFRICAN AFFAIRS
"His argument is well constructed, based on many decades during which he gathered and analyzed oral data; re-thought the classical Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, and Swahili documents; re-examined the findings of archaeology and anthropology; and applied his own version of common sense." JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY HISTORY
Paperback
9780852550755
January 1993
£24.99 / $36.95
Title Details
288 Pages
2.16 x 1.38 cm
10 b/w, 4 line illus.
Series: Eastern African Studies
Imprint: James Currey
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