International African Institute

Organisation sociale des Peul: Étude d'ethnographie comparée by Marguerite DupireReview by: Philip BurnhamAfrica: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 42, No. 2 (Apr., 1972), pp. 170-171Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African InstituteStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1159001 .

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crucial period in which most of the Sudan as we know it today was conquered and pacified by Muhammad Ali, the founder of modern Egypt. The authorship of both manuscripts is uncertain, although it is clear that both men belonged to the small community of European army instructors, medical officers, traders and hunters who accompanied Muhammad Ali's army into Egypt, mostly lower middle class Europeans who had come from the France of the July monarchy and the Italy of the Carbonari. Although the first of these manuscripts is entitled ' A History of the Sudan, 1822-184I ', it is, almost as much as the second, to be valued more for its account of life and manners in nineteenth century Sudan than for any new light it sheds on the broader political motives and strategies of the Turco-Egyptian conquerors or their Sudanese opponents. It has an account of the slave trade in which both Turks and Europeans participated and spine-chilling anecdotes of cruelty to slaves. 'What is so amazing,' writes the shocked chronicler, 'is that the Europeans, who call themselves humane and civilized, commit the worst atrocities. ' The second manuscript, entitled ' Journey to Sinnar and the Hijaz, 1837-1840 ', contains information on the prices of various services and commodities in different parts of the country, and on the impact of the newly established tax system. The authors of both manuscripts display a familiarity with the kind of life that more aristocratic European observers rarely possess. Both display a sense of humour and a certain human sympathy for the inhabitants of the country. As with most books of this kind, it makes fascinating reading and Richard Hill's scholarly notes and intro- duction make it a valuable addition to Sudan historiography. TALAL ASAD

Organisation sociale des Peul: Etude d'ethnographie comparee. Par MARGUERITE DUPIRE. (Recher- ches en Sciences Humaines 32.) Paris: Plon, 1970. Pp. 624, plates, map, figs., bibl. F 47.40.

IN this comparative ethnography of the widespread and varied Fulani populations of West Africa, Marguerite Dupire reveals an impressive depth in her understanding and analysis of the complexities of Fulani social organization. Dupire has pursued her field studies of Fulani communities with considerable regularity since I950 and has personally worked in Cameroon, Niger, Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania. Her firsthand knowledge has been supplemented by detailed reference to the relatively rich corpus of Fulani ethnography that is available, particularly from Nigeria, Guinea, and Senegal.

The book is structured by parallel sets of ethnographic data pertaining primarily to three separate Fulani social variants-the eastern pastoral Fulani of Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, the Fula of Guinea and neighbouring parts of Senegal, and the western Fula of Senegambia and Mauritania. The major analytic thrust of this work is directed at clarification of the relations of endogamous versus exogamous marriage strategies to political organization, but data on domestic grouping, kin terminology, descent grouping, social stratification, and age grouping are also presented. I was particularly pleased to find that the author includes a chapter on Fulani social stratification, even though for most of the book, she has tended to adopt a nomad's-eye-view of the Fulani, particularly the eastern groups. Much remains to be said regarding the great incorporative potential of eastern Fulani sedentary societies. This bias toward the pastoral Fulani, of course, represents the orientation of much of Dupire's field experience as well as the extreme weakness of the literature on the Fulani states of Adamawa. Let us hope that some fieldworker will soon act to fill this ethnographic void for Adamawa Fulani.

Dupire's analysis of marriage strategies and political power is clear and quite convincing and benefits greatly from the considerable quantification of the comparative case studies that is presented. Parallel cousin marriage, general lineage endogamy, and lineage exogamy are shown to be differentially employed as political strategies at various stages in inter- and

crucial period in which most of the Sudan as we know it today was conquered and pacified by Muhammad Ali, the founder of modern Egypt. The authorship of both manuscripts is uncertain, although it is clear that both men belonged to the small community of European army instructors, medical officers, traders and hunters who accompanied Muhammad Ali's army into Egypt, mostly lower middle class Europeans who had come from the France of the July monarchy and the Italy of the Carbonari. Although the first of these manuscripts is entitled ' A History of the Sudan, 1822-184I ', it is, almost as much as the second, to be valued more for its account of life and manners in nineteenth century Sudan than for any new light it sheds on the broader political motives and strategies of the Turco-Egyptian conquerors or their Sudanese opponents. It has an account of the slave trade in which both Turks and Europeans participated and spine-chilling anecdotes of cruelty to slaves. 'What is so amazing,' writes the shocked chronicler, 'is that the Europeans, who call themselves humane and civilized, commit the worst atrocities. ' The second manuscript, entitled ' Journey to Sinnar and the Hijaz, 1837-1840 ', contains information on the prices of various services and commodities in different parts of the country, and on the impact of the newly established tax system. The authors of both manuscripts display a familiarity with the kind of life that more aristocratic European observers rarely possess. Both display a sense of humour and a certain human sympathy for the inhabitants of the country. As with most books of this kind, it makes fascinating reading and Richard Hill's scholarly notes and intro- duction make it a valuable addition to Sudan historiography. TALAL ASAD

Organisation sociale des Peul: Etude d'ethnographie comparee. Par MARGUERITE DUPIRE. (Recher- ches en Sciences Humaines 32.) Paris: Plon, 1970. Pp. 624, plates, map, figs., bibl. F 47.40.

IN this comparative ethnography of the widespread and varied Fulani populations of West Africa, Marguerite Dupire reveals an impressive depth in her understanding and analysis of the complexities of Fulani social organization. Dupire has pursued her field studies of Fulani communities with considerable regularity since I950 and has personally worked in Cameroon, Niger, Guinea, Senegal, and Mauritania. Her firsthand knowledge has been supplemented by detailed reference to the relatively rich corpus of Fulani ethnography that is available, particularly from Nigeria, Guinea, and Senegal.

The book is structured by parallel sets of ethnographic data pertaining primarily to three separate Fulani social variants-the eastern pastoral Fulani of Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon, the Fula of Guinea and neighbouring parts of Senegal, and the western Fula of Senegambia and Mauritania. The major analytic thrust of this work is directed at clarification of the relations of endogamous versus exogamous marriage strategies to political organization, but data on domestic grouping, kin terminology, descent grouping, social stratification, and age grouping are also presented. I was particularly pleased to find that the author includes a chapter on Fulani social stratification, even though for most of the book, she has tended to adopt a nomad's-eye-view of the Fulani, particularly the eastern groups. Much remains to be said regarding the great incorporative potential of eastern Fulani sedentary societies. This bias toward the pastoral Fulani, of course, represents the orientation of much of Dupire's field experience as well as the extreme weakness of the literature on the Fulani states of Adamawa. Let us hope that some fieldworker will soon act to fill this ethnographic void for Adamawa Fulani.

Dupire's analysis of marriage strategies and political power is clear and quite convincing and benefits greatly from the considerable quantification of the comparative case studies that is presented. Parallel cousin marriage, general lineage endogamy, and lineage exogamy are shown to be differentially employed as political strategies at various stages in inter- and

REVIEWS OF BOOKS REVIEWS OF BOOKS I70 I70

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REVIEWS OF BOOKS 171 intra-group competitions for office. Wealth in cattle is viewed, in this analysis, not as an end in itself but as a means for the achievement of political goals. Thus, for example, the author shows that the dowry cattle of the wife can help her husband build a following. On the other hand, there is comparatively little analysis of the social organization of herd accumulation and the social consequences of reduced herding capital. One wonders if, in focusing on political power as a primary variable, Dupire has not overly neglected the poorer Fulani, who struggles to build up a herd and remains relatively uninvolved in political machinations. No doubt, given the depth and quality of her fieldwork, Dupire could have provided us with an equally dynamic comparative analysis of Fulani economic organization but wished to avoid extending the text beyond its already monumental length.

In fact, the length and complexity of this book present very real problems. Despite the author's clear style, the great detail and the frequent use of Fulfulde terminology make for very slow going indeed. As a result, I fear that very few will read this book carefully from cover to cover. This would be a tragedy, since this is certainly one of the most competent and illuminating ethnographies of an African people to be published in recent years.

PHILIP BURNHAM

Rhodesia: a Human Geography. By GEORGE KAY. London: University of London Press, 1971. Pp. 192, bibl., ill., maps. ?2'50.

STUDENTS and observers of central African affairs may approach this book as an apologia. Domestic readers are equally likely to view it as a critical analysis of current policies. It is to Professor Kay's considerable credit that he has managed to produce a study which cannot be readily dismissed by either group. This is, in fact, a detached though by no means unsympathetic appraisal written by an author with long experience and a keen appreciation of both African and white settler situations and of the interaction between the two. Due attention is given to the rigours of the pioneer economy, with chapters on the historical evolution of Rhodesia and on its urban, industrial, and agricultural patterns. One is left in little doubt that an unstable financial climate on the one hand and an equally marginal ecological situation on the other has shaped the attitudes of the first two generations of settlers. It may also be easier to understand, after reading this book, why it is that more recent immigrants, enjoying the privileges without the pain, produce a caricature of these attitudes. The circumstances of the emergence of the socio-political structure are lucidly re-created. At the same time the harsh iniquities of land apportionment, with piecemeal acquisition followed by binding legislation, stand clearly revealed. The writer clearly defines both the distress of the overpopulated Tribal Trust areas where farming is carried on well beyond the safe ecological limits, and the impossible complexities of interlocking racial land rights.

For the white Rhodesian the book contains a more subtle message. In juxtaposing a concise and usually well illustrated body of information on farming and industry alongside an appraisal of population structures and patterns the author clearly but uncensoriously demonstrates that ' the better and nobler means of preserving the values of their civilisation is not to jealously withhold and defend them but to transmit them as rapidly and widely as possible' and that only in this way can the best interests of all the people of Rhodesia be served. The tragedy of Rhodesia is that long perspectives of this sort demand a degree of political foresight that present circumstances do not allow. Political solutions will do little in the short term to alter social attitudes and time may not be on the side of reason.

This work is not entirely comprehensive in range. There is little on the provision of communications, schools, and hospital facilities. Perhaps the author regarded the

REVIEWS OF BOOKS 171 intra-group competitions for office. Wealth in cattle is viewed, in this analysis, not as an end in itself but as a means for the achievement of political goals. Thus, for example, the author shows that the dowry cattle of the wife can help her husband build a following. On the other hand, there is comparatively little analysis of the social organization of herd accumulation and the social consequences of reduced herding capital. One wonders if, in focusing on political power as a primary variable, Dupire has not overly neglected the poorer Fulani, who struggles to build up a herd and remains relatively uninvolved in political machinations. No doubt, given the depth and quality of her fieldwork, Dupire could have provided us with an equally dynamic comparative analysis of Fulani economic organization but wished to avoid extending the text beyond its already monumental length.

In fact, the length and complexity of this book present very real problems. Despite the author's clear style, the great detail and the frequent use of Fulfulde terminology make for very slow going indeed. As a result, I fear that very few will read this book carefully from cover to cover. This would be a tragedy, since this is certainly one of the most competent and illuminating ethnographies of an African people to be published in recent years.

PHILIP BURNHAM

Rhodesia: a Human Geography. By GEORGE KAY. London: University of London Press, 1971. Pp. 192, bibl., ill., maps. ?2'50.

STUDENTS and observers of central African affairs may approach this book as an apologia. Domestic readers are equally likely to view it as a critical analysis of current policies. It is to Professor Kay's considerable credit that he has managed to produce a study which cannot be readily dismissed by either group. This is, in fact, a detached though by no means unsympathetic appraisal written by an author with long experience and a keen appreciation of both African and white settler situations and of the interaction between the two. Due attention is given to the rigours of the pioneer economy, with chapters on the historical evolution of Rhodesia and on its urban, industrial, and agricultural patterns. One is left in little doubt that an unstable financial climate on the one hand and an equally marginal ecological situation on the other has shaped the attitudes of the first two generations of settlers. It may also be easier to understand, after reading this book, why it is that more recent immigrants, enjoying the privileges without the pain, produce a caricature of these attitudes. The circumstances of the emergence of the socio-political structure are lucidly re-created. At the same time the harsh iniquities of land apportionment, with piecemeal acquisition followed by binding legislation, stand clearly revealed. The writer clearly defines both the distress of the overpopulated Tribal Trust areas where farming is carried on well beyond the safe ecological limits, and the impossible complexities of interlocking racial land rights.

For the white Rhodesian the book contains a more subtle message. In juxtaposing a concise and usually well illustrated body of information on farming and industry alongside an appraisal of population structures and patterns the author clearly but uncensoriously demonstrates that ' the better and nobler means of preserving the values of their civilisation is not to jealously withhold and defend them but to transmit them as rapidly and widely as possible' and that only in this way can the best interests of all the people of Rhodesia be served. The tragedy of Rhodesia is that long perspectives of this sort demand a degree of political foresight that present circumstances do not allow. Political solutions will do little in the short term to alter social attitudes and time may not be on the side of reason.

This work is not entirely comprehensive in range. There is little on the provision of communications, schools, and hospital facilities. Perhaps the author regarded the

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