Using Written Sources to Study African History

Swahili Coast. Write an approximately 3-paged paper (750 words) to answer the following questions using one of the primary source documents listed for your chosen region. Even though you are answering the question prompts provided, organize your answers into an essay with an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Please limit yourself to our textbook, the information available in this section’s supplementary materials, and the linked primary sources as you work on your paper. Don’t forget to cite these sources in your paper’s internal citations/footnotes and bibliography! Refer to the Guidelines for Writing Essays found in your syllabus.

Questions to address in your paper:

• What does the primary source tell historians about the described society in terms of political organization, lifestyles/values, religious practices, the economy and/or its connections with the rest of the world?
• What potential silences or misinterpretations are present in the primary source?
• Overall, is the primary source a useful tool for historians hoping to learn about this society? Explain.

Option 1: The Swahili City-states

Primary source Options (choose one to analyze in your paper):

• Fordham sourcebook, “On the Zanj” by Abu Uthman al Jahiz,(c. 860 CE)

• Duarte Barbosa, “The East Coast of Africa at the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century,” (1540 CE)
• Ibn Battuta, “The East African Coast,” (1331 CE) Battuta in East Africa