“I concur
that the written history of Tanzania contains significant omissions. That must be rectified. All our heroes
deserve due publicity. Said focuses on Muslims, but others have been side-lined
too. Our children need a valid account of the path our nation has travelled. By
marshalling an array of facts and utilizing key premises, Said draws
conclusions of profound implication for our future. Thus, his paper needs a
thorough evaluation. I defer assessment of the details to historians. Instead,
I assess the premises and conceptual process that generate his conclusions. I
delve on methodology because (i) the mode of reasoning he employs is
commonplace today; (ii) it also appears in race or gender themed papers; (iii)
his opponents use it too; and (iv) an evaluation of this style of analysis is
not only not undertaken but the necessity of doing it is also not appreciated.
A flawed methodology compromises the validity of the conclusions drawn” – Karim Hirji on Beating the Drum on One Side:Confusing the People on Both Sidesaccessible at Awaaz Magazine, Volume 11, Issue 2, 2014 <www.awaazmagazine.com>
