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Trajectories and Turning Points: Swahili Agency in the Portuguese Age of Discovery

Abdirisak Isse, Khalid LU (2026) EKHS12 20251
Department of Economic History
Abstract
This thesis examines the extent to which Swahili agency shaped the Portuguese arrival as a turning point in East African economic history. Situating the encounter within the longue durée of Swahili integration into Indian Ocean trade networks, it aims to challenge interpretations that portray colonial contact as a purely exogenous rupture. Drawing on a bargaining-power framework, the study thus analyses how factors such as internal political rivalries, market structures, ecological constraints, and decentralised trade networks influenced the expression of Swahili agency amidst changing global contexts. The findings suggest that while the Portuguese imposed significant external constraints and narrowed the scope for autonomy, outcomes along... (More)
This thesis examines the extent to which Swahili agency shaped the Portuguese arrival as a turning point in East African economic history. Situating the encounter within the longue durée of Swahili integration into Indian Ocean trade networks, it aims to challenge interpretations that portray colonial contact as a purely exogenous rupture. Drawing on a bargaining-power framework, the study thus analyses how factors such as internal political rivalries, market structures, ecological constraints, and decentralised trade networks influenced the expression of Swahili agency amidst changing global contexts. The findings suggest that while the Portuguese imposed significant external constraints and narrowed the scope for autonomy, outcomes along the coast were far from uniform. By combining a long-run perspective on Indian Ocean integration with focused analysis of early Portuguese–Swahili encounters, the thesis demonstrates that indigenous agency significantly shaped early outcomes within structural limits. (Less)
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author
Abdirisak Isse, Khalid LU
supervisor
organization
course
EKHS12 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
long-history, trade history, economic integration, east africa, Indian ocean, indigenous agency
language
English
id
9220922
date added to LUP
2026-03-16 10:23:26
date last changed
2026-03-16 10:23:26
@misc{9220922,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines the extent to which Swahili agency shaped the Portuguese arrival as a turning point in East African economic history. Situating the encounter within the longue durée of Swahili integration into Indian Ocean trade networks, it aims to challenge interpretations that portray colonial contact as a purely exogenous rupture. Drawing on a bargaining-power framework, the study thus analyses how factors such as internal political rivalries, market structures, ecological constraints, and decentralised trade networks influenced the expression of Swahili agency amidst changing global contexts. The findings suggest that while the Portuguese imposed significant external constraints and narrowed the scope for autonomy, outcomes along the coast were far from uniform. By combining a long-run perspective on Indian Ocean integration with focused analysis of early Portuguese–Swahili encounters, the thesis demonstrates that indigenous agency significantly shaped early outcomes within structural limits.}},
  author       = {{Abdirisak Isse, Khalid}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Trajectories and Turning Points: Swahili Agency in the Portuguese Age of Discovery}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}