Of Students, "'Nizers," and a Struggle over Youth: Tanzania's 1966 National Service Crisis

In October 1966, student protest erupted at the University College of Dar es Salaam over the announcement of a new, mandatory National Service requirement for graduates—protest that dominated Tanzania's political scene at the time and culminated in the expulsion of nearly two-thirds of the university's students. Situating this event in the broader context of a struggle over the political valence of "youth," this article examines the proliferation of public discourse surrounding the National Service crisis. In focusing on the generational and class tensions and rivalries embedded in this debate, the article argues for a perspective that views the crisis as one in a string of campus conflicts, illuminating some of the anxieties and unevenness marking the struggle over the reproduction and expansion of an early postcolonial elite.