Clan Leaders and Colonial Chiefs in Lango: The Political History of an East African Stateless Society c. 1800-1939
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Author Description
This work is not the first to consider the political history of an African stateless society, but it is the first to do so in a span which covers both the pre-colonial and colonial eras. Its subject is the Langi, one of Uganda's major peoples. The book focuses primarily on the changing forms of political leadership - from the highly informal and parochial clan leadership of the nineteenth century to the powerful, bureaucratic chiefship through which the Langi were administered during the early twentieth century. How this kind of chiefship, so alien to the egalitarian values of the indigenous culture, was established in Lango is a theme which also sheds light on British colonial administration during the heyday of 'Indirect Rule'.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the transformation of political leadership structures among the Langi people of Uganda as they transitioned from a stateless, egalitarian society to a colonial administrative system. John Tosh, a historian specializing in African studies, utilizes archival records and ethnographic data to analyze the shift from informal clan-based authority to the bureaucratic chiefship imposed by British colonial rule. The work provides a detailed examination of how indigenous social values were reconciled with, or subverted by, the mechanisms of 'Indirect Rule' between 1800 and 1939.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A longitudinal study of political evolution in Lango from the pre-colonial nineteenth century through the early twentieth century.
- An analysis of the implementation and local impact of British 'Indirect Rule' policies.
- A comparative framework contrasting indigenous egalitarian clan leadership with colonial bureaucratic chiefship.
- Historical evidence detailing the socio-political friction caused by the imposition of alien administrative structures.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars of African history recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the complexities of colonial administration in stateless societies. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and the clarity with which the author navigates the intersection of indigenous tradition and colonial imposition.
Page Count:
310
Publication Date:
1979-01-18
Publisher:
Clarendon Press
ISBN-10:
0198227116
ISBN-13:
9780198227113
History
Anthropology
African history
Colonialism
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