Article ID: CBB351121065

The Archaeological Potential for Reconstructing the History of Labor Relations in East Africa, c. 1500–1900 (2014)

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Previous studies of past labor relations in different parts of Africa have relied almost entirely on documentary sources. While such records can provide valuable insights into the range of different labor categories that have existed and the relative proportions of the population involved, for much of the continent they are severely restricted in a temporal sense. Thus, for many areas suitable documentary materials covering the periods prior to 1850 are scarce; as is the case, for example, for much of East Africa. To extend scholarly understanding of the nature of labor relations prior to this date, alternative sources need to be utilized. This paper presents a brief overview of the potential scope for utilizing archaeological data, with specific reference to mainland Tanzania. The paper also highlights the many limitations of archaeological data and offers some thoughts on how these might be addressed from both a conceptual and methodological perspective. The paper concludes with an appeal for more studies oriented toward investigation of the archaeological remains of the last five hundred years and greater dialogue between the region’s historians and archaeologists., La littérature sur l’histoire des relations de travail dans de différents pays africains s’est basée presque entièrement sur des sources documentaires. Bien que ces données puissent certainement donner des éclaircissements par rapport aux différentes catégories de travail qui ont existé ainsi que sur les proportions des populations impliquées, pour la plupart du continent l’information est très limitée en termes temporels. Ainsi, par rapport à de nombreuses régions, le matériel documentaire d’avant 1850 est limité; tel est le cas, par exemple, pour l’Afrique orientale. D’autres sources s’avèrent (ainsi) indispensables afin d’élargir la compréhension de la nature des relations de travail avant cette date. Cet article présente un aperçu du potentiel des données archéologiques, spécifiquement dans le cas de la Tanzanie continentale. En même temps, il illustre aussi les nombreuses contraintes liées à l’emploi des données archéologiques et propose quelques réflexions sur la manière dont celles-ci pourraient être adressées d’un point de vue conceptuel et méthodologique. L’article se conclut par un appel à orienter les études vers les données archéologiques des dernières cinq-cents années et prône pour un meilleur dialogue entre historiens et archéologues.

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Authors & Contributors
Paolo de Vingo
McMullan, Luke Anthony
Jeremy Lowe
Jonathan R. Walz
V. Camille Westmont
Guarente, Marina Anna
Journals
IA. The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology
Historical Archaeology
Mefisto: Rivista di medicina, filosofia, storia
Social Science History
Science and Education
Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science
Publishers
Insegna del Giglio
Princeton University Press
Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura
Aracne
New York University
Concepts
Archaeology
Historical method
Historiography
Environmental history
Labor and laborers
Earth sciences
People
Young, Thomas
Weule, Karl
Thevet, André
Ranke, Leopold von
Maskelyne, Nevil
Ludewig, Johann Peter von
Time Periods
19th century
18th century
Early modern
20th century
17th century
Medieval
Places
East Africa
Tanzania (Tanganyika, Zanzibar)
Piedmont
Italy
Troy
Indian Ocean
Institutions
Royal Observatory Greenwich
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