Clan Leaders and Colonial Chiefs in Lango: The Political History of an East African Stateless Society c. 1800-1939

by John Tosh

This work is not the first to consider the political history of an African stateless society, but it is the first to do so in a span which covers both the pre-colonial and colonial eras. Its subject is the Langi, one of Uganda's major peoples. The book focuses primarily on the changing forms of political leadership - from the highly informal and parochial clan leadership of the nineteenth century to the powerful, bureaucratic chiefship through which the Langi were administered during the early twentieth century. How this kind of chiefship, so alien to the egalitarian values of the indigenous culture, was established in Lango is a theme which also sheds light on British colonial administration during the heyday of 'Indirect Rule'.

310 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

John A. Tosh is a British historian and Professor Emeritus of History at Roehampton University. He gained his BA at the University of Oxford and his MA at the University of Cambridge. He was awarded his PhD by the University of London in 1973; his thesis topic being "Political Authority among the Langi of Northern Uganda, circa 1800–1939". He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In 1987–88, he held a visiting appointment at the University of California, Davis. At Roehampton University, he teaches History, specifically "Reading and Writing History". He served as Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society from 1999 to 2002. He has also published several works on the history of masculinity in nineteenth-century Britain. He is currently preparing a critical analysis of the social applications of historical perspective in contemporary Britain.
Tosh's claim to originality and notability rests largely on his work as a historian and historiographer. Since the turn of the millennium, he has taken a leading role as a public historian in developing the history of masculinity and ensuring it has become an important dimension of social and cultural history. He has shown how domesticity, previously regarded as an aspect of women's history, also conditioned and influenced the lives of men and society. As a historiographer, he has updated the way we look at the study of history and how we construct our knowledge of the past, as well as providing insight into the works of other historians and their impact on the study of the subject.
He is the father of philosopher Nick Tosh.

Reviews

[Ogwang Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just wanted to know more about my people
This book really helped me