Work

Tanzanian Museums, International Audiences, and the Politics of Heritage in an Autocratic State

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Since 2020, Tanzania’s state museums have reoriented toward two overlapping constituencies: international tourists whose spending underwrites heritage diplomacy, and a domestic audience whose identification with CCM’s conservative nationalism the regime actively cultivates. These purposes converge in the museums’ depiction of women’s history, particularly in exhibits centered on Emily Ruete, a nineteenth-century Zanzibari princess whose narrative of oppression echoes post-9/11 imperial feminist discourse and positions President Samia Suluhu Hassan as a historical culmination of Tanzanian women’s liberation.

Source: History in Africa

DOI: 10.1017/hia.2026.10024

Author: Matthew Unangst

Institution: SUNY Oneonta

Language: English

Topic: Cultural Identity and Heritage

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550