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Asians and Africans in Ugandan Urban Life, 1959-1972 by Edgar Curtis Taylor A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology and History) in the University of Michigan 2016 Doctoral Committee: Professor Derek R. Peterson, Co-Chair Professor Nancy Rose Hunt, Co-Chair Professor Kelly M. Askew Professor Nakanyike B. Musisi, University of Toronto Professor Mrinalini Sinha © Edgar Curtis Taylor 2016 Dedication For Harold and Addie ii Acknowledgements There are few greater lessons in human generosity and the collective nature of knowledge than those that come from writing a dissertation. It seems inappropriate here to refer to accumulated “debts,” a word that implies a set of quantifiable obligations inscribed in a ledger book – though there may be some of those as well. I have been enriched by interactions, exchanges, and friendships that make the composition of an acknowledgements section both daunting and gratifying. As the usual disclaimer goes, no one but myself should be held responsible for this dissertation, but whatever insights it contains would not have been possible without each of the people mentioned here and in the bibliography. I apologize in advance for any omissions, which are surely as numerous as they are unintentional. I have been extremely fortunate to benefit from the generosity of time, insight, and enthusiasm of my co-chairs, to whom I am deeply grateful. Derek Peterson came to Michigan in 2009 and immediately introduced me to a craft of historical analysis and a rigor of research equal parts exacting, exciting, and enriching. In Michigan and in Uganda, I have benefited not only from his intellectual guidance and encouragement but also from his commitment to strengthening institutions of historical research for all in numerous ways (not least of which has been preserving iii and cataloging several of the archival collections used in this study). Nancy Rose Hunt welcomed me to the University of Michigan in 2008 and pushed me to pursue unfamiliar questions and to engage with diverse literatures in ways that have been immensely rewarding. Most of all, her encouragement of a combined sense of wonder and critical reflection with both new and familiar material has been a constant source of insight and inspiration. The University of Michigan’s communities of African Studies and Anthro- History scholars have been incredibly supportive. On my committee, Kelly Askew has always prodded with insightful questions at important steps over the course of research and writing. Mrinalini Sinha joined my committee in the last few months and has provided extremely useful insights and questions that I will continue to think through in the years ahead. Nakanyike Musisi of the University of Toronto joined the committee and was incredibly supportive and discerning, as she has consistently been over the past dozen years during my time at Toronto, Makerere, and Michigan. This dissertation would not have been possible without her encouragement and support long before I began my doctoral studies. Farina Mir’s guidance through a prelim field in South Asian and Indian Ocean historiography was extremely helpful. I am grateful for conversations with David William Cohen, whether on campus or in Gary and Christy’s kitchen. In classes, workshops, and seminars, I have benefited from the insight of numerous other Michigan faculty: Butch Ware, Gabrielle Hecht, Josh Cole, Mike McGovern, Dena Goodman, Jon Marwil, Alana Lemon, Paul Johnson, and many others have all generously offered insightful comments on my work at one stage or another. iv I am grateful for the intellectual and social support of many fellow graduate students in Ann Arbor. These include my Anthro-History cohort: Davide Orsini, Ali Sipahi, Bruno Renero, Shana Melnysyn, Jeremy Johnson, Kimberley Powers, Joseph Viscomi, and Ismael Alatas. I have also had the privilege of working with Michigan colleagues who expanded my appreciation and understanding of Uganda, including Ashley Rockenbach, Jennifer Johnson, Anneeth Kaur Hundle, and Doreen Kembabazi. Other friends and colleagues whose generosity made Ann Arbor a pleasant place to be despite all habitual complaints include: Paul Hébert, Robyn d’Avignon, Tara Dosumu Diener, Tasha Rijke-Epstein, Stephen Sparks, Nafisa Essop Sheik, Ian Stewart, Amir Syed, Emma Park, Benedito Machava, Jeremy Ledger, Bertrand Metton, Ananda Burra, Jonathan Shaw, Sara Katz, Cyrus O’Brien, Nana Quarshie, Kevin Donovan, Lamin Manneh, Jolene Pelton, Brady G’Sell, and many, many others. Particular thanks to all participants in periodic MAIC/ABOPGHIYA gatherings. Most importantly, I am grateful to the History, Anthro-History, and African Studies Center staff who made Michigan such an efficient and pleasant place to work, including Diana Denney, Kathleen King, Lorna Altstetter, Dawn Kapalla, Sheila Coley, Diane Wyatt, Devon Keen, and Sandie Schulze. I have spent roughly half of the past decade in Uganda and am incalculably grateful to everyone who has helped make it my second, and in some cases my first, home. Numerous people have offered practical and intellectual support that has made research intellectually and personally rewarding. In particular, I want to thank George Mpanga, whose skilled research assistance proved invaluable and whose enthusiasm for the histories of Buganda and Uganda greatly enriched this study. He v also translated the interviews and Luganda newspaper articles cited in Chapter 2. At Makerere University’s Department of History, I have been most grateful for the insight and collegiality of Godfrey Asiimwe, Simon Rutabajuuka, Deo Katono, Mwambutsya Ndebesa, and Christopher Muhoozi. I join a long and growing list of scholars who are deeply appreciative of the work done by Uganda’s archivists, records officers, and librarians. At the Uganda National Archives, Okello Ajum, Justine Nalwoga, Eve Kirabo, and Roscoe Mbalire deserve particular thanks for their commitment to the archive’s accessibility. In Kabale, Martin Tushabe’s extraordinary commitment to the preservation of archival records has made the Kabale District Archive a wonderful place to work. I also thank staff at the Kabale High Court and Kabale Town Council for facilitating access to public archival records. In Jinja, George Nabida has recently overseen the cataloging of the large collection of the Jinja District Archive. In Mbale, Kennedy Sifuna has worked over the years to make district archival records available. In Fort Portal, Everest Ngabirano and staff at the Mountains of the Moon University oversee an extraordinary preservation project that has made numerous archival collections, including those of Kabarole and Hoima districts, accessible to students, scholars, and Ugandan publics. I also wish to thank staff at the Makerere Main Library who have assisted in helping me to locate important material since my days as a MA student at Makerere. Finally, for their patient instruction in Luganda, I wish to thank Deo Kawalya, Ven Kitone, and Massy Matumba. Many people made my dissertation research even more productive and enjoyable than it might otherwise have been. I could not have been luckier than to vi have had Marissa Mika as a fellow SSRC research compatriot in Kampala. In addition to those mentioned above, I wish to thank Jonathan Earle, Elizabeth Laruni, Anna Nansove, Kathleen Vongsathorn, Pete Hoesing, and Erin Moore amongst others. Through their dinner parties and generous intellectual and social spirit, Henri Médard, Valerie Golaz, and Claire Médard provided a sense of community among disparate research networks. Whether in Kampala or at conferences in North America, numerous scholars have generously shared their expertise on Ugandan history in ways that have shaped my work. I am grateful for repeated conversations and exchanges with Holger Hansen, Holly Hanson, Carol Summers, Alicia Decker, Shane Doyle, and Aili Mari Tripp. Thank you as well to all the participants in the conference on Uganda in the 1970s held in Ann Arbor in 2011. Numerous people have over the years generously shared their time and knowledge in ways that have profoundly shaped my work and my appreciation of different aspects of Ugandan urban life. I first met Vali Jamal in 2007 and have keenly followed the development of his book of Ugandan Asian history, which reflects his unique commitment to public history. I am very grateful for our conversations and for his pilao. I join many people in expressing appreciation to Andrea Stultiens and her work with History in Progress Uganda. In Kabale, Herbert Tugume, Grace Atuhaire, and Canon Basingwire have been especially welcoming and helpful. I am very grateful to everyone whom I interviewed in Kampala, Kabale, London, and Leicester, many of whom are concealed with pseudonyms in this dissertation. In Kampala, I would especially like to thank Bharat Chandarana, Pradip Karia, Firoz Khan, and Rajni Tailor vii for their assistance. In London, I also wish to express my gratitude to Shobhi Sodha for her generosity and for her enthusiasm for keeping Kabale’s history alive. Over the years, I am fortunate to have had the guidance of many extraordinary scholars. In Toronto, I thank Sean Hawkins, Dickson Eyoh, and Antoinette Handley. I am grateful for conversations with James Brennan, Harri Englund, Jonathan Glassman, Pamila Gupta, John Iliffe, Jon Lonsdale, Jon Soske, and Michael Twaddle, all of whom offered generous advice and insight at important moments in my research and writing process. Various funding agencies have made this project possible, and I am very appreciative of their support. I am grateful to the Social Science Research Council with funds provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for an International Dissertation Research Fellowship in 2011-2012. A Mellon-ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship made writing much easier in 2014-2015. I also wish to thank several centers and institutes at the University of Michigan that have provided generous financial support. The African Studies Center, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender each provided awards at critical moments in my research.