Karin Pallaver | Università di Bologna (original) (raw)

Papers by Karin Pallaver

African Studies Review, 2023

Pallaver situates German East Africa within the framework of the broader East African region as a... more Pallaver situates German East Africa within the framework of the broader East African region as a way to illuminate the processes of currency standardization in the colonial context. The monetary geography of the region was determined first by the circulation of the rupee and later by Great Britain’s interests to create a common currency for its East African colonies. Pallaver argues that transimperial, international, and regional contexts influenced currency circulation across and within colonies, drawing attention to forms of colonial money and their use by distinct groups, such as African laborers and Indian traders.

Afriques Débats, méthodes et terrains d’histoire, 2020

This article aims to contribute to the study of the urbanization of caravan-related towns in 19th... more This article aims to contribute to the study of the urbanization of caravan-related towns in 19th- century Tanzania by unpacking the way multiple settlements merged into a town that came to be known as Tabora. By following the development of the three settlements that formed Tabora— Kwikuru, Kwihara and Sokoni—this article shows how the urban structure of Tabora was shaped by its commercial role, by the presence of a political power that influenced the organization of the urban space to affirm its authority and display its wealth, and by a community of coastal traders with their own political representative, the wali. The analysis points towards the profound relationship between spatial processes of urbanization and the exercise of political power.

Afriche e Orienti, 2019

This article investigates how wages and bene ts were paid to East African military carriers at th... more This article investigates how wages and bene ts were paid to East African military carriers at the end of the First World War. One of the aspects of post-war demobilization that has not yet been studied is the enormous dif culties that the colonial powers encountered in paying off soldiers and carriers at the end of the war, owing to the lack of currency. To resolve this situation, the British authorities in Kenya resorted to introducing one-rupee paper notes issued exclusively for the payment of carriers. After a few years, however, these notes were suddenly demonetized with no compensation. This article situates the history of the introduction and demonetization of one-rupee notes in the framework of the recruitment and demobilization of African carriers. In so doing, it aims to provide new elements for the understanding of the experience of East African carriers and the complexities of the process of demobilization after the war.

Journal of Eastern African Studies, 2019

This article combines insights on colonial monetary policies and daily practices of money use, to... more This article combines insights on colonial monetary policies and daily practices of money use, to discuss the impact of international monetary developments on the local usage of money during the rupee crisis in East Africa (1919–1923). To do so, the paper will follow two related lines of investigation. On one hand, it will analyse the protests against the depreciation of East African cents. Even if Africans were excluded from decision-making processes connected to currency, this organized protests offer an example of how Africans could make their voices heard in the official arena in which currency matters were discussed. On the other hand, the article will investigate individual acts of appropriation and rejection of colonial currencies that African societies developed during and after the rupee crisis. These acts partly altered the boundaries of subordination imposed by the colonial regime and made the process of colonial monetization a prolonged and negotiated transition that was, in part, shaped by monetary practices on the ground.

This article provides a brief overview of the financial contribution of the African colonies to t... more This article provides a brief overview of the financial contribution of the African colonies to the First World War. It considers the problems faced by the colonial state in raising revenues during the war owing to a dramatic decrease in import and export trade. It shows how the war conditions led to increased impositions on the African populations, especially in the form of higher taxation and the introduction of various restrictive trading regulations. Finally, it looks at the problems in currency supply and circulation caused by the war.

This article provides a brief overview of the contribution of African economies to the war and of... more This article provides a brief overview of the contribution of African economies to the war and of the ways in which colonial economies were re-organized to respond to the demands of the war period. Its main aim is to provide an understanding of the ways in which African economies integrated into the European war economies and how economic relationships between Africa and metropolitan powers changed in a world dominated by the war.

This article analyzes trends in demography and labor relations in Tanzania for four cross-section... more This article analyzes trends in demography and labor relations in Tanzania for four cross-sections: 1800, 1900, 1950, and 2000. It discusses the quality and nature of the sources available on demography and labor relations in Tanzania for the aforementioned cross-sections. Subsequently, it reconstructs the main trends in the population size and composition, and connects them to the major shifts in labor relations in relation to the major historical events that took place in Tanzania over the last two centuries.

Money in Africa, ed. by C. Eagleton, H. Fuller, J. Perkins, 2009

Note: the British Museum Occasional Papers series is now entitled British Museum Research Publica... more Note: the British Museum Occasional Papers series is now entitled British Museum Research Publications. The OP series runs from 1 to 150, and the RP series, keeping the same ISBN preliminary numbers, begins at number 151. For a complete catalogue of the full range of OPs and RPs see the series website: www/the britishmuseum.ac.uk/ researchpublications Order from www.britishmuseum.org/shop For trade orders write to: Oxbow Books,

Books by Karin Pallaver

in Colonialism, Institutional Change, and Shifts in Global Labour Relations Edited by Karin Hofmeester and Pim de Zwart

Most human beings work, and growing numbers are exposed to labour markets. These markets are incr... more Most human beings work, and growing numbers are exposed to labour markets. These markets are increasingly globally competitive and cause both capital and labour to move around the world. In search of the cheapest labour, industries and service-based enterprises move from West to East and South, but also, for example, westwards from China's east coast. People move from areas with few employment opportunities to urban and industrial hubs, both between and within continents. However, labour relations have been shifting already for centuries, labour migrations go back far in time, and changing labour relations cannot be comprehended without history. Therefore, understanding these developments and their consequences in the world of work and labour relations requires sound historical research, based on the experiences of different groups of workers in different parts of the world at different moments in time, throughout human history.

African Studies Review, 2023

Pallaver situates German East Africa within the framework of the broader East African region as a... more Pallaver situates German East Africa within the framework of the broader East African region as a way to illuminate the processes of currency standardization in the colonial context. The monetary geography of the region was determined first by the circulation of the rupee and later by Great Britain’s interests to create a common currency for its East African colonies. Pallaver argues that transimperial, international, and regional contexts influenced currency circulation across and within colonies, drawing attention to forms of colonial money and their use by distinct groups, such as African laborers and Indian traders.

Afriques Débats, méthodes et terrains d’histoire, 2020

This article aims to contribute to the study of the urbanization of caravan-related towns in 19th... more This article aims to contribute to the study of the urbanization of caravan-related towns in 19th- century Tanzania by unpacking the way multiple settlements merged into a town that came to be known as Tabora. By following the development of the three settlements that formed Tabora— Kwikuru, Kwihara and Sokoni—this article shows how the urban structure of Tabora was shaped by its commercial role, by the presence of a political power that influenced the organization of the urban space to affirm its authority and display its wealth, and by a community of coastal traders with their own political representative, the wali. The analysis points towards the profound relationship between spatial processes of urbanization and the exercise of political power.

Afriche e Orienti, 2019

This article investigates how wages and bene ts were paid to East African military carriers at th... more This article investigates how wages and bene ts were paid to East African military carriers at the end of the First World War. One of the aspects of post-war demobilization that has not yet been studied is the enormous dif culties that the colonial powers encountered in paying off soldiers and carriers at the end of the war, owing to the lack of currency. To resolve this situation, the British authorities in Kenya resorted to introducing one-rupee paper notes issued exclusively for the payment of carriers. After a few years, however, these notes were suddenly demonetized with no compensation. This article situates the history of the introduction and demonetization of one-rupee notes in the framework of the recruitment and demobilization of African carriers. In so doing, it aims to provide new elements for the understanding of the experience of East African carriers and the complexities of the process of demobilization after the war.

Journal of Eastern African Studies, 2019

This article combines insights on colonial monetary policies and daily practices of money use, to... more This article combines insights on colonial monetary policies and daily practices of money use, to discuss the impact of international monetary developments on the local usage of money during the rupee crisis in East Africa (1919–1923). To do so, the paper will follow two related lines of investigation. On one hand, it will analyse the protests against the depreciation of East African cents. Even if Africans were excluded from decision-making processes connected to currency, this organized protests offer an example of how Africans could make their voices heard in the official arena in which currency matters were discussed. On the other hand, the article will investigate individual acts of appropriation and rejection of colonial currencies that African societies developed during and after the rupee crisis. These acts partly altered the boundaries of subordination imposed by the colonial regime and made the process of colonial monetization a prolonged and negotiated transition that was, in part, shaped by monetary practices on the ground.

This article provides a brief overview of the financial contribution of the African colonies to t... more This article provides a brief overview of the financial contribution of the African colonies to the First World War. It considers the problems faced by the colonial state in raising revenues during the war owing to a dramatic decrease in import and export trade. It shows how the war conditions led to increased impositions on the African populations, especially in the form of higher taxation and the introduction of various restrictive trading regulations. Finally, it looks at the problems in currency supply and circulation caused by the war.

This article provides a brief overview of the contribution of African economies to the war and of... more This article provides a brief overview of the contribution of African economies to the war and of the ways in which colonial economies were re-organized to respond to the demands of the war period. Its main aim is to provide an understanding of the ways in which African economies integrated into the European war economies and how economic relationships between Africa and metropolitan powers changed in a world dominated by the war.

This article analyzes trends in demography and labor relations in Tanzania for four cross-section... more This article analyzes trends in demography and labor relations in Tanzania for four cross-sections: 1800, 1900, 1950, and 2000. It discusses the quality and nature of the sources available on demography and labor relations in Tanzania for the aforementioned cross-sections. Subsequently, it reconstructs the main trends in the population size and composition, and connects them to the major shifts in labor relations in relation to the major historical events that took place in Tanzania over the last two centuries.

Money in Africa, ed. by C. Eagleton, H. Fuller, J. Perkins, 2009

Note: the British Museum Occasional Papers series is now entitled British Museum Research Publica... more Note: the British Museum Occasional Papers series is now entitled British Museum Research Publications. The OP series runs from 1 to 150, and the RP series, keeping the same ISBN preliminary numbers, begins at number 151. For a complete catalogue of the full range of OPs and RPs see the series website: www/the britishmuseum.ac.uk/ researchpublications Order from www.britishmuseum.org/shop For trade orders write to: Oxbow Books,

in Colonialism, Institutional Change, and Shifts in Global Labour Relations Edited by Karin Hofmeester and Pim de Zwart

Most human beings work, and growing numbers are exposed to labour markets. These markets are incr... more Most human beings work, and growing numbers are exposed to labour markets. These markets are increasingly globally competitive and cause both capital and labour to move around the world. In search of the cheapest labour, industries and service-based enterprises move from West to East and South, but also, for example, westwards from China's east coast. People move from areas with few employment opportunities to urban and industrial hubs, both between and within continents. However, labour relations have been shifting already for centuries, labour migrations go back far in time, and changing labour relations cannot be comprehended without history. Therefore, understanding these developments and their consequences in the world of work and labour relations requires sound historical research, based on the experiences of different groups of workers in different parts of the world at different moments in time, throughout human history.