29779210.pdf - 3 views
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ry. The aim of the present paper is to suggest that during the 19th century Malawi was in fact more, not less, politically centralised than it was in the earlier centuries, and following Alpers to emphasise the crucial role of the ivory trade - elephant hunting - in the political history of Malawi. After
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aluswah on 26 Apr 23Malawi was more centralised in the 19th century due to the ivory trade.
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based on "plunder" and on "conquering" the neighbouring territories. But of course plunder could hardly be achieved without the use of firearms derived from the trade in ivory - for ivory trade and political domination went hand-in-hand, as Alpers implied. Elephant hunting, trade in ivory, access to firearms - if these coalesced even local petty chiefs were soon able to assert their political dominion over local communities -and with local support derived from the redistribution of trade goods, to establish a degree of autonomy from what were at one time centralised kingdoms.
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i Journal were deeply implicated in the ivory trade. Both Newitt and Schoffeleers, unlike Alpers, tend to play down the importance of the ivory trade, and almost ignore entirely the crucial significance of firearms that were derived from this trade
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