Synopses & Reviews
Focusing on the growing transnational community of Ismailis (Muslim Shi'a followers of the Aga Khan), this study analyzes the transnational and cultural characteristics of the Ismaili social service network in the context of state/society relations. There are approximately 20 million Ismailis worldwide in over 20 countries throughout the world, and they have developed—under the auspices of the Aga Khan—a sophisticated private sector nonprofit social service network of hospitals and schools that serves the health care and education needs of Ismailis and non-Ismailis. Based on research and interviews conducted in Europe and Africa from 1992-1995, this study shows how a strong society can contribute significantly to the social service goals of developing nations. It also provides information on the Ismailis of Tanzania which has not previously been available in the west, and so will be of interest to scholars of comparative politics, religious, development theory, and African Studies.
Review
The research is extraordinary; the author succeeded where others have failed in gaining access to the international, national, and local Ismaili records on health care and education in Tanzania. He also interviewed more than one hundred Ismaili and African leaders and examined pertinent government records in the Tanzanian archives.The International Journal of African Historical Studies
About the Author
PAUL J. KAISER is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Mississippi State University.
Table of Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
Transnationalism, Culture and Civil Society
The State and Society in Africa
Transnationalism and Civil Society
Culture, Identity, and Civil Society
Health Care, Education, and the Asians in Tanzania
The Early Years of Asian Settlement
The German Colonial Period
The British Colonial Period
The Independence Period
The Ismailis in Tanzania
The Ismaili Experience: A Historical Overview
Ismaili Organization: A Transnational Corporation?
Ismaili Health-Care Initiatives
Aga Khan Health Services in East Africa
Aga Khan Health-Care Centers
Ismaili Education Initiatives
Aga Khan Education Services in East Africa
Aga Khan Nursery Schools
Early Childhood Education
The Aga Khan Primary School
The Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School
AKES, T and the Tanzanian State
Culture and Civil Society in an International Context
Culture, Identity, and Civil Society
Transnationalism and Civil Society
State/Society Relations in Africa
Appendix
Glossary of Foreign Terms
Bibliography
Index