Ahmad Sikainga | Ohio State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ahmad Sikainga

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History

As in the rest of Africa, the establishment of colonial rule has accelerated the pace of urban gr... more As in the rest of Africa, the establishment of colonial rule has accelerated the pace of urban growth in the Sudan. During the period of British colonial rule (1898–1956), a number of new administrative centers, ports, and railway stations were established and metamorphosed into full-fledged cities. Among the most important towns and administrative centers were Khartoum, the capital of the Anglo-Egyptian administration; Atbara, headquarters of the Sudan Railways; the port city of Port Sudan; and Khartoum North, the headquarters of the steamers division of the Sudan Railways. These towns grew from small administrative headquarters into major urban centers and became the home of a diverse population that included Sudanese as well as immigrants from the Middle East, Europe, and neighboring African countries. The inhabitants of these towns engaged in a wide range of economic, social, and political activities that shaped the character of these towns and developed a distinctive urban cult...

Northeast African Studies, 1989

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Persian Gulf received an influx of slaves fr... more In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Persian Gulf received an influx of slaves from East and Northeast Africa to meet the growing labor demand in the booming pearling industry and date farming. The Red Sea served as a major channel through which a large number of people from the present-day countries of Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti were taken to Arabia and Yemen, and the Gulf. The history and the experience of these northeast African slaves in the Gulf are the central themes of this paper. However, the paper will specifically focus on Eastern Arabi, particularly the country of Qatar. It is based on a wide range of oral and archival materials, which include many testimonies by the slaves who escaped to various British agencies in the Gulf. These testimonies provide significant insights into the process of enslavement, origins of the slaves, their social and economic conditions, and the changing dynamics of slavery in the Gulf. In addition to these topics, the paper will discuss the legacy of slavery in Qatari society and will devote a special attention to African cultural influences in the Gulf, particularly in rituals such as the spirit possession, music, and dance.

Africa and World War II, 2015

Africa and World War II, 2015

South Atlantic Quarterly, 2010

This volume considers the military, economic, and political significance of Africa during World W... more This volume considers the military, economic, and political significance of Africa during World War II. The essays feature new research and innovative approaches to the historiography of Africa and bring to the fore issues of race, gender, and labor during the war, topics that have not yet received much critical attention. It explores the experiences of male and female combatants, peasant producers, women traders, missionaries, and sex workers. The first section offers three introductory essays that give a continent-wide overview of how Africa sustained the Allied effort through labor and resources. The six sections that follow offer individual case studies from different parts of the continent. Contributors offer a macro and micro view of the multiple levels on which Africa's contributions shaped the war as well as the ways in which the war affected individuals and communities and transformed Africa's political, economic, and social landscape.

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History

As in the rest of Africa, the establishment of colonial rule has accelerated the pace of urban gr... more As in the rest of Africa, the establishment of colonial rule has accelerated the pace of urban growth in the Sudan. During the period of British colonial rule (1898–1956), a number of new administrative centers, ports, and railway stations were established and metamorphosed into full-fledged cities. Among the most important towns and administrative centers were Khartoum, the capital of the Anglo-Egyptian administration; Atbara, headquarters of the Sudan Railways; the port city of Port Sudan; and Khartoum North, the headquarters of the steamers division of the Sudan Railways. These towns grew from small administrative headquarters into major urban centers and became the home of a diverse population that included Sudanese as well as immigrants from the Middle East, Europe, and neighboring African countries. The inhabitants of these towns engaged in a wide range of economic, social, and political activities that shaped the character of these towns and developed a distinctive urban cult...

Northeast African Studies, 1989

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Persian Gulf received an influx of slaves fr... more In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Persian Gulf received an influx of slaves from East and Northeast Africa to meet the growing labor demand in the booming pearling industry and date farming. The Red Sea served as a major channel through which a large number of people from the present-day countries of Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti were taken to Arabia and Yemen, and the Gulf. The history and the experience of these northeast African slaves in the Gulf are the central themes of this paper. However, the paper will specifically focus on Eastern Arabi, particularly the country of Qatar. It is based on a wide range of oral and archival materials, which include many testimonies by the slaves who escaped to various British agencies in the Gulf. These testimonies provide significant insights into the process of enslavement, origins of the slaves, their social and economic conditions, and the changing dynamics of slavery in the Gulf. In addition to these topics, the paper will discuss the legacy of slavery in Qatari society and will devote a special attention to African cultural influences in the Gulf, particularly in rituals such as the spirit possession, music, and dance.

Africa and World War II, 2015

Africa and World War II, 2015

South Atlantic Quarterly, 2010

This volume considers the military, economic, and political significance of Africa during World W... more This volume considers the military, economic, and political significance of Africa during World War II. The essays feature new research and innovative approaches to the historiography of Africa and bring to the fore issues of race, gender, and labor during the war, topics that have not yet received much critical attention. It explores the experiences of male and female combatants, peasant producers, women traders, missionaries, and sex workers. The first section offers three introductory essays that give a continent-wide overview of how Africa sustained the Allied effort through labor and resources. The six sections that follow offer individual case studies from different parts of the continent. Contributors offer a macro and micro view of the multiple levels on which Africa's contributions shaped the war as well as the ways in which the war affected individuals and communities and transformed Africa's political, economic, and social landscape.