Carleton hosts renowned visiting scholar

New Faculty Profile – Sam Maghimbi

Carleton hosts renowned visiting scholar

In his poem “To a Mouse” Robert Burns opined “…the best-laid schemes of mice and men / Gang aft a-gley” (often go astray). Sam Maghimbi, Carleton’ s visiting scholar from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at University of Dar es Salaam, might be inclined to agree.

Maghimbi’ s research interests are broad, ranging from population studies, to development policies, the philosophy of science and peasantry. It is the latter area that he will focus on while at Carleton. In particular, he will examine the function of special institutions, or cooperatives in Tanzania’ s emerging economy.

Theorists have projected that “modernized” economies would result in the disappearance of the peasantry. However, Maghimbi contends that in Tanzania’s case, where 70 per cent of the population are poor farmers, these theories have not accurately captured the true situation. Countering the projections of economic pundits applying theoretical models on the country and the policies that were enacted as a result, the peasantry has not disappeared, but has been further impoverished.

During the 1970′s the cooperatives that had been established to encourage development, were abolished. The result was decreased opportunities for the peasant class. Only now are the repercussions of these closures fully recognized and the international community is scrambling to assist Tanzanian officials rebuild its debilitated infrastructure.

His research should give pause to theorists who develop and broadly apply economic and social models for development without consideration to specific societies.

In addition to his research focus, Maghimbi will be teaching two courses. The first, entitled “Family and Gender Relations in Tanzania”, will be housed within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and is being taught this fall. The second of these, scheduled for the winter semester, is in political science, entitled “The Rise and Demise of Populism (African Socialism) in Tanzania”.

Unlike the massive classes of 500 to 1200 students common to the University of Dar es Salaam, the courses he will instruct here will be delivered to smaller groups of third and fourth-year students.

Maghimbi’s career has spanned numerous continents. He is renowned for his work in the United Kingdom, Japan, Swaziland, South Africa and Tanzania. He is the first visiting scholar to come to Carleton through the University of Dar es Salaam’ s 10 year-old exchange program.

Maghimbi earned his PhD at the London School of Economics.