| The Way the World is |
| Preface |
 | 1 Ethnographic and Theoretical Introduction |
| 2 Akher Zamani Mombasa Swahili History and Contemporary Society |
 | 3 The Brotherhood of Coconuts Unity, Conflict, and Narrowing Loyalties |
| • | Introduction |
| • | Asserting Arab Ethnicity and Its Effect on the Community |
| New Community Divisions |
| • | National Politics and Its Indirect, Profound Influence |
| • | Current State of the Community and the Section System |
| • | "Ethnic" Status and the Destruction of the Two-Section System |
| • | Marriage and Community in Contemporary Mombasa |
| • | "Clans" and Other Designations Wrongly or Rarely Used |
| • | Residence |
| • | Outside Contacts and Community Importance |
| • | Diminished Prosperity |
| • | Less Expensive Life-Crises Rituals |
| 4 He Who Eats with You Kinship, Family, and Neighborhood |
| 5 Understanding is Like Hair Limited Cultural Sharing and the Inappropriateness of "All by All" and "Some by Some" Models for Swahili Culture |
| 6 Close One of Your Eyes Concealing Differences Between the Generations and the Uses of "Tokens" |
| 7 Liking Only Those in Your Eye Relationship Terms, Statuses, and Cultural Models |
| 8 Tongues are Spears Shame and Differentiated Conformity |
| 9 Leaning on the Cow's Fat Hump Medical Choices, Unshared Culture, and General Expectations |
| 10 A Wife is Clothes Family Politics, Cultural Organization, and Social Structure |
| 11 The Dynamics of Swahili Culture A Status-Centered View |
| Notes |
| References |
| Index |