TY - JOUR
KW - cultural heritage
KW - heritage
KW - UNESCO
KW - World heritage site
KW - Tanzania
KW - Africa
KW - Islamism
KW - identity construction
KW - Sub-Saharan Africa
KW - East Africa
KW - Fragrance
KW - Islam and culture
KW - nongovernmental organization
KW - Zanzibar
KW - Zanzibar Island
KW - United Republic of Tanzania (TZ)
AU - R. Boswell
AB - In 2000, UNESCO declared Zanzibar Stone Town a World Heritage Site. Since this time the Tanzanian government and international NGOs (based in Zanzibar) have participated in the rehabilitation of the town s buildings and other physical infrastructure. However, little attention has been paid to the rich intangible heritage of the islands and the fusion of cultural expressions in this part of the world. This paper considers the important role of fragrances in the identity construction processes of Zanzibar islanders. The author offers a brief history, theoretical discussion and detailed ethnography of fragrance in Zanzibar. She discusses its role in the varied constitution of identity, belief and in life cycle rituals. The author further argues that fragrance and other seemingly  mundane  heritages attract little attention in the preservation process and yet these indicate important cultural continuities in the Indian Ocean region and form a vital part of heritage and the harmonisation of cultures on the islands.
BT - Journal of Contemporary African Studies
DO - 10.1080/02589000802332507
LA - English
M1 - 3
N2 - In 2000, UNESCO declared Zanzibar Stone Town a World Heritage Site. Since this time the Tanzanian government and international NGOs (based in Zanzibar) have participated in the rehabilitation of the town s buildings and other physical infrastructure. However, little attention has been paid to the rich intangible heritage of the islands and the fusion of cultural expressions in this part of the world. This paper considers the important role of fragrances in the identity construction processes of Zanzibar islanders. The author offers a brief history, theoretical discussion and detailed ethnography of fragrance in Zanzibar. She discusses its role in the varied constitution of identity, belief and in life cycle rituals. The author further argues that fragrance and other seemingly  mundane  heritages attract little attention in the preservation process and yet these indicate important cultural continuities in the Indian Ocean region and form a vital part of heritage and the harmonisation of cultures on the islands.
PY - 2008
SP - 295
EP - 311
T2 - Journal of Contemporary African Studies
TI - Scents of identity: Fragrance as heritage in Zanzibar
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-52649173322&doi=10.1080%2f02589000802332507&partnerID=40&md5=efa973c09a8300cefbf92a3a29709950
VL - 26
SN - 02589001 (ISSN)
ER -