Marriage as the means to preserve 'asian-ness': The post-revolutionary experience of the Asians of Zanzibar

Author First name, Last name, Institution

Akbar Keshodkar, Zayed University

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Journal of Asian and African Studies

Publication Date

4-1-2010

Abstract

The question of identity, shaped by issues of race and ethnicity, is paramount in the multi-cultural ethnic landscape of Zanzibar. This article examines how the present-day Asian community of Zanzibar, decimated by the 1964 Revolution, when an African insurgence overthrew the islands' Arab rule and expelled the majority of Arabs and Asians, survived in Zanzibar in the years following the Revolution and how, through demarcating communal boundaries and exercising specific marriage strategies, it has managed to maintain its distinct Asian identity. The article is based on anthropological fieldwork in Zanzibar. © The Author(s) 2010.

ISSN

0021-9096

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Volume

45

Issue

2

First Page

226

Last Page

240

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Asians (Indians), Identity, Jat, Marriage, Revolution, Zanzibar

Scopus ID

77952470703

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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