“What did it mean to be an African subject living in remote areas of Tanganyika at the end of the colonial era? T. O. Beidelman’s detailed narrative links this administrative world to the Kaguru’s wider social, cultural, and geographical milieu, and to the political history and the white institutions that loomed just beyond their world. ”

“Spring 2014”
 — Journal of Interdisciplinary History

“This volume is a handsome addition to Beidelman’s scholarship and serves as a valuable resource for scholars and students of colonialism, anthropology, political science, and African history.”
 — American Ethnologist

“We are fortunate to have this book. Not only is it a very useful addition to colonial studies, but it also demonstrates the value of decades of teaching and writing in assessing the centuries-long trajectory of political institutions in one area of Tanzania.”
 — Journal of African History

“Although the Kaguru have been a backwater in world affairs, Beidelman's extensive contributions have made them a major subject of African studies. An important addition to understanding the local and global in anthropology. . . . Highly recommended. ”
 — Choice

“Personal and engaged while trying to make sense of a contradictory and exclusionary world.”
 — Ivan Karp, Emory University