This thesis attempts firstly to reconstruct the urban system or systems of the Roman Near east in the second and early third centuries C.E., consisting of the provinces of Syria Coele, Syria... Show moreThis thesis attempts firstly to reconstruct the urban system or systems of the Roman Near east in the second and early third centuries C.E., consisting of the provinces of Syria Coele, Syria Phoenice, Syria Palaestina, Osrhoene, Mesopotamia and Arabia. Secondly it analyses the different regional patterns within these systems. The first two chapters of the thesis describe the urban systems in the north and south of the Roman Near East respectively. The third chapter analyses to what degree the distribution of cities, and their sizes, relate to the agricultural productivity of the urban territories. The fourth chapter takes a detailed look at the largest city of the region, Antioch. The research shows that geographic factors and historical developments certainly played a role in the long term and defined the shape of urban networks in the region, but with ample room for human agency. Although we clearly see population growth compared to earlier periods, Roman cities in the Near East were nonetheless not particularly big, and most could be sustained with agricultural production from their direct hinterlands. From that perspective there is no reason to assume that integration into the Roman empire also brought stronger economic integration. Show less
The study looks at the experience of railway development in the countryside between Kano and Zaria. It looks at the ways the inhabitants perceived, appropriated and domesticated the railroad and... Show moreThe study looks at the experience of railway development in the countryside between Kano and Zaria. It looks at the ways the inhabitants perceived, appropriated and domesticated the railroad and how their lives were transformed by it. The communities are located in the two Hausa states of Kano and Zaria. Situated strategically on trade routes and the rail line, all the communities with the exception of one were nineteenth century creations. They became significantly important with the construction and operation of the railway in the twentieth century. The railway as the study argued was the most important innovation which transformed the communities from almost nothing to economically significant center's on the rail line. It played a critical role in their social, economic and cultural life much more than previously recognized. The railway is also a double edge sword. It opened many frontiers of opportunities and at the same time indirectly endangered many. It also bread crimes and provided platforms for criminals to operate. The impact of the railway, as the study severally demonstrates differs between the communities. Show less
Discussions about colonial chieftaincy in Africa have tended to focus upon the ways in which indirect rule structured and framed traditional authority; for the majority of contemporary historians... Show moreDiscussions about colonial chieftaincy in Africa have tended to focus upon the ways in which indirect rule structured and framed traditional authority; for the majority of contemporary historians of British colonialism the question has been to what extent Lord Lugard’s blueprint for effective native administration, The Dual Mandate, invented, shaped, and restructured political and social identity. Whilst acknowledging the importance of these neo-traditional perspectives which focus much on the ways in which colonial frameworks ethnicised and tribalised African society, this thesis argues that indirect rule was as much a spatialising process as it was a tribalising one. Colonial tools of territoriality mapped politics in geographically bounded ways and as a result associating power with place began to assume new importance in the ways African leadership was defined, and given authority. By further exploring the spatial context of traditional power in colonial Malawi through the example of a Tumbuka chief named Timothy Chawinga, this thesis reveals new conclusions about the nature of chieftainship in Northern Malawi. It also provokes new questions about how we understand the role of African traditional authorities more generally, in both the past and the present. Show less
The German chemist-apothecary Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (1773-1854) offers a fascinating window on Dutch culture and society in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. By providing an... Show moreThe German chemist-apothecary Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (1773-1854) offers a fascinating window on Dutch culture and society in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. By providing an in-depth analysis of his multi-faceted career in the Netherlands and the Malay Archipelago, this study sheds light on the co-evolutionary character of science, governance, and empire. It argues that seeds of Reinwardt’s professional flexibility lay in his practical training in one of Amsterdam’s chemical workshops and his socialization in a broader cultural context where the improvement of society and economy played a crucial role. Show less
