Traders and Trade in Colonial Ovamboland 1925-1990. Elite Formation - Gregor Dobler

Taking the history of trade and of traders as its subject matter this book offers the first economic history of northern Namibia during the twentieth century. It traces Namibia's way from a rural largely self-relying society into a globalised economy of consumption. This transformation built on colonial economic activities but it was crucially shaped by local traders a new social elite emerging during the 1950s and 1960s. Becoming a trader was one of the few possibilities for black Namibians to gain monetary income at home. It was a pathway out of migrant labour to new status in the local society and often to prosperity. Politically most traders occupied a middle ground: content of their own social position but intent on political emancipation from colonial rule. Economically their energy and business acumen transformed northern Namibia into an increasingly urban consumer society. The development path they chose however depended too much on the colonial reserve economy to remain sustainable after 1990. Their legacy still shapes spatial and social structures in northern Namibia but most traders' businesses have today closed down. By telling the history of the rise and decline of traders and trade in northern Namibia this book is thus also a reflection on the conundrums of economic development under conditions of structural inequality.

TITLE: Traders and Trade in Colonial Ovamboland 1925-1990. Elite Formation and the Politics of Consumption

AUTHOR: Gregor Dobler

SKU: 9783905758405

PUBLISHER: Basler Afrika Bibliographien

DATE PUBLISHED: 14/08/2014

PAGES: 280

BINDING: Paperback / softback

LANGUAGE: English

DIMENSIONS: 170 mm x 244 mm x 15 mm

WEIGHT: 449 gr