Paper short abstract:

This paper presents a critical genealogy of the notion of "Muslim political dissent" in Tanzania. Examining the German colonial period, it draws out the contested political history of "Islamic danger" narratives and their historiographical utility for contemporary Muslim activists.

Paper long abstract:

According to contemporary Tanzanian activists, Muslim political dissent has long historical roots in the colonial era. Yet is this notion accurate? And what makes a particular form of political dissent a “Muslim” one? This paper proposes that a critical genealogy is needed for understanding the conceptual configuration of Islam and political dissent in Tanzania today. Examining the “Arab revolt” of 1888, the “Mecca letter affair” of 1908, and the attempted mobilisation of East African Muslims for “jihad” during the First World War, the paper studies how the concept of “political Islam” in Tanzania arose from particular colonial anxieties. It then proceeds to show how particular tendencies in the post-colonial historiography of German East Africa have led to the idea of a Muslim-led anti-colonial resistance that is leveraged by political activists today. In doing so, the paper forwards two main arguments: 1) that the category of “Muslim dissent” has a long political history that needs to be deconstructed thoroughly; and 2) that it is because of this history that historiography has become a popular arena for anchoring contemporary Muslim politics.