Historical Dictionary of Tanzania
Ofcansky, Thomas P and Yeager, Rodger
1997
- Publisher: The Scarecrow Press Inc. Lanham, Md., & London
- Edition: Second Ed (Vol No 72)
- ISBN: 0-8108-3244-5
- Our classification: Reference
- Reference: first seen in Rhodes Library Shelves
- Found: Amazon October 1999 £65
- No 72 in a series.
No 15 (First Edition) 'Tanzania' by Laura S. Kurtz, New Jersey; London: Scarecrow Press1978. 331p. bibliog. Maps is now out of print.
Reviews
Review of the first edition by Darch (entry no 152) says:
"Part of a much-criticized series which will eventually cover all the countries of Africa. Apart from the alphabetically-arranged entries which constitute the body of the work, this volume includes such extras as lists of the sultans of Kilwa (with no indication that the chronology has been the subject of much debate), of the sultans of Zanzibar, the Governors of German-East Africa, and the consuls-general of and residents in Zanzibar. There is also a general chronology, a brief introduction, and a detailed bibliography organized by subject (p. 256-331). The level of historical analysis in the main entries is not of the highest order. Kurtz describes the Zimba as 'not a tribe but a way of life'; indeed, she uses the concept of the 'tribe in an uncritical and at the same time inconsistent way throughout the work - the Zaramo, for instance, 'do some Makonde carvings [ ]'. She accepts colonialist terminology - the Mbunga 'were pacified by the German administration'. As with other works in the series, there are no sources given for individual entries, and there is no systematic cross-referencing. Contemporary political economy is given undue emphasis for a supposedly historical work - there are numerous entries on such modern figures as Oscar Kambona, Rashidi Kawawa and Bernadette Kunambi."
Book ID 202
