Capitalism and Cloves

This study of nineteenth-century clove plantations on Zanzibar provides an important contribution to debates in global historical archaeology. Broadening plantation archaeology beyond the Atlantic World, this work addresses plantations run by Omani Arab colonial rulers of Zanzibar. Drawing on archaeological and historical data, this book argues for the need to examine non-Western contexts of colonialism and capitalism as coeval with those in the North Atlantic World. This work explores themes of capitalism, colonialism, plantation landscapes, African Diaspora communities, gender and sexuality, locally produced and imported goods in historic contexts, and Islamic historical archaeology.

“The book draws upon years of research and field work to address multiple themes in its treatment of the archaeology of the Omani Arab plantation system on Zanzibar and Pemba in the 1800s. … For world historians in general, the book is a valuable and informative treatment of the topic. … The book is well-written, but the research methodology, and indeed the topic itself, is best suited for scholars and graduate or doctoral-level students.” (Phillip Cantrell, World History Connected, worldhistoryconnected.press.illinois.edu, Vol. 14 (1), February, 2017)

“Capitalism and Cloves is a brave book. It is based primarily on a surface survey of clove plantations in four areas of Unguja and Pemba islands, and the excavation of an Arab plantation owner’s house near Piki on Pemba. … is an original study that has much to recommend it. It raises important questions about Zanzibar’s past and its interpretation, is replete with interesting observations, and will no doubt be consulted by students and researchers for many years to come.” (Martin Walsh, Tanzanian Affairs, Issue 111, May-August, 2015)

Sarah K. Croucher is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Archaeology, and Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University. Her research broadly explores nineteenth-century African Diaspora contexts, largely through the study of East Africa. She is interested in questions of identity and power, and theoretical debates in historical archaeology. Her current research  is based in Middletown, Connecticut, where she directs a community archaeology project examining the Beman Triangle, a mid-nineteenth century free African American community associated with the AME Zion Church where she is examining racialized, gendered, and community identities in relation to the neighborhood landscape.