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Early Imperial Formations in Africa and the Power Segmentation Problem

100%

Tymowski M.

Kwartalnik Historyczny

2007

vol. 114

issue 3

37-48

Early Imperial Formations in Africa and the Power Segmentation Problem In my article I would like to discuss the forms of empires functioning in pre-colonial Africa, analyze the features of those organizations and confront them with the definitions of empires appearing in historical science and political anthropology. The overview of the features of pre-colonial African empires allows us to draw the following conclusions: 1. The term “empire” is used in African science due to the need of giving a name to the states which were large territorially and multi-ethnical, and to distinguish them from small states. 2. The area of an African empire included the center and peripheries of an early state and chiefdoms character. The tribes survived both in the center and in the peripheries as lower levels of the organization – its segments. 3. The segmentation resulting from the continued existence of tribal and early state organizations counterbalanced the centralization of power. 4. African empires (except Ethiopia) did not manage to establish separate religious, legal and cultural systems which would have been developed in the center but would influence the whole area of the empire. As to the traditional culture, the worship of rulers and the imperial dynasty was counterbalanced by the cult of local ruling dynasties. In case of Muslim empires, the centers of Islam lay outside them, and in general outside Black Africa. 5. As a result of segmentation of power and of the legitimization principle, together with existence of a political and legitimization-wise counterpoise to the rules developed in the centre, African empires were prone to decomposition and fall not only due to invasions, but also as a result of internal processes. 6. A factor which played a large role in creation of African empires and their expansion were the stimuli created by long-distance trade. However, African empires did not cover with their reach whole, separate economy-worlds, and their economies played a peripheral role in the economy-worlds whose centers lay outside Black Africa. 7. Hence in African political organizations termed empires the imperial features following from the definitions adopted in science either occurred in an incompletely developed form, or only part of those features had developed, and the others were absent. 8. This type of political organization can be termed – the early empire. In the light of the collected material, among the features of African early empires, the most important ones seem to be the incomplete centralization of power and the rather small durability of its legitimization, together with a counterbalance to the phenomena of political centralization and legitimization of power provided by the continued existence of local centers of tribal and early state authorities and their separate legitimizations. This type of organizations emerged not only in Africa, but also on other continents. We can find analogies to early African empires both in the history of India and in the history of Europe ( for ex. Great Moravian Empire). Such comparisons can be multiplied. They allow us to draw the conclusion that organizations of the early empire types, built over early state and tribal segments, are a common historical phenomenon, which occurs regardless of the chronology, the natural and ethnical environment, or the dominant religious system.

"Szoki demograficzne" jako determinacja ewolucji sytuacji geopolitycznej - próba ujęcia teoretycznego

51%

Szul R.

Przegląd Geopolityczny

2017

vol. 19

22-35

Artykuł stanowi próbę analizy ewolucji sytuacji geopolitycznej na świecie od czasów najdawniejszych do współczesności przez pryzmat „szoków demograficznych”. Pod pojęciem „szoków demograficznych” rozumie się niedopasowanie liczby lub dynamiki ludności na danym terytorium do jakichś innych zjawisk (cech tego terytorium). Tymi zjawiskami są możliwości wyżywienia ludności, potrzeby gospodarki, status geopolityczny (siła polityczno-militarna tego terytorium jako organizacji państwowej). Za szok demograficzny uznaje się tu też istotne z politycznego punktu widzenia zmiany struktury ludności na danym terytorium, zwłaszcza struktury narodowościowej. W szczególności analizuje się: 1) wpływ niedoboru możliwości wyżywienia ludności na migracje ludności i podboje, od starożytności poprzez imperia ostatnich stuleci a skończywszy na najnowszych emigracjach do Europy i Ameryki, 2) wpływ niedoboru siły roboczej na import siły roboczej począwszy na handlu niewolnikami a skończywszy na sprowadzaniu „gastarbeiterów” w Europie po II wojnie światowej, 3) wpływ niedoboru ludności w stosunku do statusu geopolitycznego na przykładzie upadku wielkich imperiów starożytności (Kartagina, Rzym) i współczesności (portugalskiego, hiszpańskiego, francuskiego, brytyjskiego), 4) wpływ nadwyżki ludności w stosunku do statusu geopolitycznego na przykładzie powstawania i ekspansji wielkich imperiów, 5) wpływ zmiany etnicznej struktury ludności obszarów na ich sytuację polityczną, zwłaszcza na przykładzie wpływu wzrostu udziału ludności muzułmańskiej na sytuację polityczną na Bałkanach.

The article is an attempt of analysis of the evolution of the geopolitical situation of the world from the earliest times to modern times through the lens of “demographic shocks”. By demographic shocks inadequacy of the number and dynamics of the population on a given territory in relation to some other phenomena of this territory is understood. These phenomena are capacities of sustenance of the population, needs of the economy, geopolitical status of political organisations (states, empires). As demographic shock also relevant from the political point of view changes in the composition of the population, especially ethnic composition, are considered. In particular the following developments are analysed: 1) impact of insufficiency of sustenance capacities of the population on migrations and conquests, from the ancient times to empires of the last centuries, to recent migration to Europe and America, 2) impact of shortage of labour force on import of labour force starting from the slave trade and ending by bringing of “guest workers” to Western Europe after the Second World War, 3) impact of deficit of population in relation to geopolitical status, based on examples of falls of empires of ancient times (Carthage, Rome) and modern times (Portuguese, Spanish, French, British), 4) impact of the “surplus” of population in relation to the geopolitical status based on examples of rise and expansion of big empires, 5) impact of the change of ethnic composition of the population of an area on the political situation of this area as illustrated by the impact of the increase in the share of Muslin population on the political situation in the Balkans.

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Early Imperial Formations in Africa and the Power Segmentation Problem

"Szoki demograficzne" jako determinacja ewolucji sytuacji geopolitycznej - próba ujęcia teoretycznego