A basic dichotomy between what is civilized (uungwana) and what is barbarian (ushenzi or foreign, strange) has existed for centuries on the East African coast. The concept of utumwa (slavery, service) may be seen to mediate the opposition between the civilized and the uncivilized over time. The author invokes a sociolinguistic approach to complement the historical record in order to examine the use of the word ‘utumwa’ itself as it has changed to reveal distinct class and gender connotations, especially in northern Swahili communities. The author exmines the construction and transformation of a non-Western molded-form of service in Africa. Oral traditions and terminological variation are brought to bear on an analysis of ‘utumwa’ as an important concept of social change in East Africa and, in particular, on the northern Kenya coast. What this term, its derivatives, and other terms associated with it have come to mean to Swahili speakers and culture bearers can be seen to mirror aspects of the history of Swahili-speaking people from the 10th-11th century to the present. (Source: ASC Documentation).
