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This is an almost overwhelmingly dense and richly detailed investigation into what is probably little known to most of the Western world: the movement of the Omani people into Africa in the 19th century and the subsequent interaction, competition, and conflict that emerged there between them and the European powers that were also scrambling into Africa for colonial power, glory, and wealth. More than that, the work also represents an almost sociological passion for the Omani people: their traditions, beliefs, movements, and internal attributes. Thus the work operates incredibly well on the historical and sociological level for all those interested in this time period, this geographical region, this aspect of international dispute and engagement, and, finally, this particular people. Given that these are the long-standing intents and goals of Wilkinson (emer. fellow, St. Hugh's College, Oxford Univ.), it is hard to find fault with the book. A work such as this begs for others to utilize it as a foundation for future work on how the Arab peninsula and Africa interact today-mixing cultures, religion, conflict, and cooperation-and is clearly crucial for international affairs, politics, intelligence, and diplomacy. Summing up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. --M.D. Crosston, CHOICE, August 2015, Vol. 52 No. 12

A dense and richly detailed investigation... operates incredibly well on the historical and sociological level for all those interested in this time period, this geographic region, this aspect of international dispute and engagement, and finally, this particular people. ...it is hard to find fault with this book. A work such as this begs for others to utilize it as a foundation for future work .. and it is clearly crucial for international affairs, politics, intelligence, and diplomacy. Summing up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. CHOICE [An] excellent, brilliantly researched, and highly erudite text. Those who are familiar with the history of Oman and East Africa will rejoice in the minute details that Wilkinson provides, while fans of Wilkinson's earlier work will see how it fits within the overall intellectual trajectory of one of the great historians of Oman. The Journal of Arabian Studies John Wilkinson [is] one of the leading scholars of Oman and the Gulf... Where [this book] parts company with the usual imperial histories of these events is that it gives the Omanis real agency in the process rather than treating them as sort of hapless placeholders waiting for the Europeans to show up and brush them aside. This too is a positive step and will give non-Arab readers a window on Omani maneuvering and motives during this period that would not otherwise be available to them. International Journal of African Historical Studies Wilkinson's work is a compulsory read for anyone who is interested in African/Islamic History or anyone who wishes to have good historical insight into Arab/Omani activities in Africa. African Historical Review Overall this is a comprehensive narration of forgotten histories of imperialism in Africa and will be indispensable for specialists in the field of nineteenth century East Africa. It is an invaluable companion to classic work on the subject from Abdul Sheriff, Fred Cooper and Jon Glassman. Journal of World History

Overall this is a comprehensive narration of forgotten histories of imperialism in Africa and will be indispensable for specialists in the field of nineteenth century East Africa. It is an invaluable companion to classic work on the subject from Abdul Sheriff, Fred Cooper and Jon Glassman. . . . Wilkinson believes that the Omanis, like the British and the French, have to come to terms with their colonial past (p. 444).According to Wilkinson, this will involve measuring the impact of this more recent colonial past with a more ancient past where Omanis became African locals, part of the broader Swahili community. His work contributes to a nuanced understanding of Omanis in Africa as both colonized and colonizer, both local and foreign. Nathaniel Matthews, SUNY-Binghamton, Journal of World History, June 2019 This is an almost overwhelmingly dense and richly detailed investigation into what is probably little known to most of the Western world: the movement of the Omani people into Africa in the 19th century and the subsequent interaction, competition, and conflict that emerged there between them and the European powers that were also scrambling into Africa for colonial power, glory, and wealth. More than that, the work also represents an almost sociological passion for the Omani people: their traditions, beliefs, movements, and internal attributes. Thus the work operates incredibly well on the historical and sociological level for all those interested in this time period, this geographical region, this aspect of international dispute and engagement, and, finally, this particular people. Given that these are the long-standing intents and goals of Wilkinson (emer. fellow, St. Hugh's College, Oxford Univ.), it is hard to find fault with the book. A work such as this begs for others to utilize it as a foundation for future work on how the Arab peninsula and Africa interact today-mixing cultures, religion, conflict, and cooperation-and is clearly crucial for international affairs, politics, intelligence, and diplomacy. Summing up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. --M.D. Crosston, CHOICE, August 2015, Vol. 52 No. 12

Author Information

"John C. Wilkinson, D.Litt, is a former Reader at Oxford University and an Emeritus Fellow of St Hugh's College, Oxford, where he taught from 1969 until his retirement in 1997. He has advised several governments in the Middle East on their frontier disputes, including as Counsel for Bahrain in Qatar vs Bahrain, the longest running case to have appeared before the International Court of Justice at The Hague. He is author of numerous articles and several books, notably: Water and Tribal Settlement in South-East Arabia (Clarendon Press, 1977), The Imamate Tradition of Oman (Cambridge University Press, 1987), Arabia's Frontiers (I.B. Tauris, 1991), A Fatal Duel: ""Harry Alis"" (1857-95), a behind the scenes figure of the early Third Republic (Antony Rowe, 2006) and Ibadism: Origins and early development in Oman (Oxford University Press, 2010)."

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