Banana Trade and position of women in Rungwe District
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Date
1984
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Publisher
University of Dar es salaam
Abstract
This work is a contribution to development studied. Specifically, it is a study in rural development. It attempt to examine the development of banana trade, involvement of women peasants in it as a response to the changing economic conditions in the countryside under neo-colonial conditions and their changing socio-economic position. Its focus is mainly directed at understanding the commoditization process, particularly through export cash crop production, how an internal market is being established for capitalist oriented rural development and the position of women peasants with the example of banana trade in Rungwe district. Market and its dialectical relationship with the capitalist world market. Mainly it concentrates on the period after 1970 which has experienced the development of long distance banana trade as the most developed form of food crop trade undertaken by women peasant. However, the study is limited to the examination of it to further investigation. In the first chapter the specific problem of the research study is presented with a theoretical background of the development of commodity production, capitalism and peasant women question. To locate this study in the development trend of knowledge, some of the previous research studies related to the problem of this research study have been discussed, e.eg those of S. mbilinyi and A. Maecarenhpa (1960), kapinga (1975), eto. Also in this chapter, the main assumptions of the study are presented, such as the orientation of the peasant household towards export cash crop production of at the expense of substance food orop production due to otrenohment of capitalism, peasant women’s engagement in banana trade due to economic pressure on the households: differentiation, development of revolutionary potential among banana traders and dissolution of the patriarchal relations due to the internalization of the capitalist oriented relations, etc. The second chapter is devoted to theoretical issues pertaining to this research study. They include commodity production, trade and social- economic relations in the peasant household. Also included are international finance capital, state monopoly capitalism and the primitive accumulation of capital in the epoch of moribund capitalism and the primitive accumulation of capital in the epoch of moribund capitalism. All these are discussed on basis of Marxist-Leninist theory. On basis of cabal’s tested scientific contribution, classes among the peasantry have been discussed in order to clarify the question of the revolutionary potential of the peasantry in relation to the practice of women’s liberation in in Tanzania and the historical trend of women’s involvement in banana trade. The third chapter deals with researcher methodology. It starts with exposition of some general epistemological aspects of research. Then it goes further by discussing the data collection methods which include documentation, interview and observation. Sampling of the area of study, the respondent and data analysis techniques are also discussed. The forth chapter presents and discusses the research findings on the relationships between tea production and commoditization of food crops, particularly bananas. Also the economic position of women banana traders has been discussed with main focus on the analysis of the forces such as labor migration which have played a part in forcing women to engage themselves in banana trade. Analysis of accumulation, differentiation among the banana traders and the new relations has revealed the fact that they are consequences of the capitalist oriebted banana trade which holds away in Rungwe district. Henceforth, it has been relevant to analyse the move of big capital into banana business, the prospects for banana cooperatives and the revolutionary potential af banana traders. Finally, in the fifth chapter the research study comes out with concluding remarks based on theoretical framework and findings n of this research study in relation to the social significance of the study in the context national democratic revolution as noble historical task
Description
Available in print form,East Africana Collection ,Dr.Wilbert Chagula Library,Class mark ( THS EAF HQ1381.P62)
Keywords
Women in business, Rungwe district, Banana trade, Tanzania
Citation
Mwaiseje Polisya