History of Namibia

History of Namibia

Author: Marion Wallace

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2014-01-16

Total Pages: 475

ISBN-13: 019751393X

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In 1990 Namibia gained its independence after a decades-long struggle against South African rule--and, before that, against German colonialism. This book, the first new scholarly general history of Namibia in two decades, provides a fresh synthesis of these events, and of the much longer pre-colonial period. A History of Namibia opens with a chapter by John Kinahan covering the evidence of human activity in Namibia from the earliest times to the nineteenth century, and for the first time making a synthesis of current archaeological research widely available to non-specialists. In subsequent chapters, Marion Wallace weaves together the most up-to-date academic research (in English and German) on Namibian history, from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. She explores histories of migration, production and power in the pre-colonial period, the changes triggered by European expansion, and the dynamics of the period of formal colonialism. The coverage of German rule includes a full chapter on the genocide of 1904-8. Here, Wallace outlines the history and historiography of the wars fought in central and southern Namibia, and the subsequent mass imprisonment of defeated Africans in concentration camps. The final two chapters analyse the period of African nationalism, apartheid and war between 1946 and 1990. The book's conclusion looks briefly at the development of Namibia in the two decades since independence. A History of Namibia provides an invaluable introduction and reference source to the past of a country that is often neglected, despite its significance in the history of the region and, indeed, for that of European colonialism and international relations. It makes accessible the latest research on the country, illuminates current controversies, puts forward new insights, and suggests future directions for research. The book's extensive bibliography adds to its usefulness for scholar and general reader alike.


Historical Dictionary of Namibia

Historical Dictionary of Namibia

Author: Victor Tonchi

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 586

ISBN-13: 0810853981

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On March 21, 1990, Sam Nujoma was sworn in as the first president of independent Namibia. This ceremony marked the end of a struggle that lasted more than two decades and a period of colonialism that lasted more than a century. Finally, after decades long wars over grazing in the 19th century, genocidal colonial suppression by Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, repressive apartheid racialism throughout the 20th century, and a prolonged armed liberation struggle, Namibians had the chance to choose their own leaders, develop a democratic political process in a free society, and to bring economic development and greater equity to their country. The Historical Dictionary of Namibia covers the history of Namibia through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has several hundred cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Namibia.


Re-thinking Sexualities in Africa

Re-thinking Sexualities in Africa

Author: Signe Arnfred

Publisher: Nordic Africa Institute

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9789171065131

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"This volume sets out to investigate critically existing lines of thought about sexuality in Africa, while also creating space for alternative approaches"--P. [4] of cover.


Colonial Aspects of Finnish-Namibian Relations, 1870–1990

Colonial Aspects of Finnish-Namibian Relations, 1870–1990

Author: Leila Koivunen

Publisher: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura

Published: 2024-06-27

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 9518588872

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This edited collection re-examines the long history of Finnish-Namibian relations through the lens of colonialism without colonies as well as anti-colonialism. The book argues that although Finland never acquired colonies, Namibia was once treated in the areas of culture and knowledge formation in a manner now recognised as colonial. Namibian people’s ways of being in the world was transformed when the Finnish Missionary Society started its work in Owambo in 1870 and introduced Christianity and European modes of education, medicine, material culture and social practices. In time, cultural colonialism faded and during the Namibian struggle for independence from South African rule in 1966–1990 Finns took an actively anti-colonial approach. The book was written as a collaborative effort of Namibian, Finnish and South African scholars.


The Changing Faces of Aawambo Musical Arts

The Changing Faces of Aawambo Musical Arts

Author: Minette Mans

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2017-05-22

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 3905758946

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How does a peoples music reflect their history, their occupations, cultural beliefs and values? These are the core questions that this book addresses in relation to the Aawambo people of Namibia. The author, herself born and bred in Namibia, brings to the fore the nuanced views of different people, describing their personal musical experiences past as well as present. This is the first time that the music and stories of contemporary Namibian musicians is shared alongside those of the elderly. Similarly, it is the first time that some of the traditional Aawambo dances are analysed and described, abundantly illustrated with colourful photographs and several songs. Based on years of personal research, this book will appeal to research scholars, students and other interested readers alike, since its style is accessible but detailed, personal yet objective. Recommended for all those interested in culture, anthropology, the arts, and Namibian studies.


Forged in Genocide

Forged in Genocide

Author: William Blakemore Lyon

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2024-07-22

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 3111374912

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Forged in Genocide traces the early history of colonial capitalism in Namibia with a central focus on migrants who came to be key to the economy during and as a result of the German genocide of the Herero and Nama (1904-1908). It posits that Namibia, far from being a colonial backwater of the early 20th century, became highly integrated into the labor flows and economies of West and Southern Africa, and even for a time was one of the most sought-after regions for African migrants because of relatively high wages and numerous opportunities resulting from the war’s demographic devastation paired with an economic frenzy following the discovery of diamonds. In highlighting the life stories of migrants in Namibia from regions as diverse as the Kru coast of Liberia, the Eastern Cape of South Africa, and the Ovambo polities of Northern Namibia, this work integrates micro-history into larger African continental trends. Building off of written sources from migrants themselves and utilising the Namibian Worker Database constructed for this project, this book explores the lives of workers in early colonial Namibia in a way that has hereto not been attempted.


Namibia's Red Line

Namibia's Red Line

Author: G. Miescher

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2012-06-18

Total Pages: 557

ISBN-13: 1137118318

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Based on archival sources and oral history, this book reconstructs a border-building process in Namibia that spanned more than sixty years. The process commenced with the establishment of a temporary veterinary defence line against rinderpest by the German colonial authorities in the late nineteenth century and ended with the construction of a continuous two-metre-high fence by the South African colonial government sixty years later. This 1250-kilometre fence divides northern from central Namibia even today. The book combines a macro and a micro-perspective and differentiates between cartographic and physical reality. The analysis explores both the colonial state's agency with regard to veterinary and settlement policies and the strategies of Africans and Europeans living close to the border. The analysis also includes the varying perceptions of individuals and populations who lived further north and south of the border and describes their experiences crossing the border as migrant workers, African traders, European settlers and colonial officials. The Red Line's history is understood as a gradual process of segregating livestock and people, and of constructing dichotomies of modern and traditional, healthy and sick, European and African.


„Little Research Value.“

„Little Research Value.“

Author: Ellen Ndeshi Namhila

Publisher: BASLER AFRIKA BIBLIOGRAPHIEN

Published: 2017-12-14

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 3905758784

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Ellen Ndeshi Namhila is intrigued by the question: Why can the National Archives of Namibia respond to genealogical enquiries of Whites in a matter of minutes with finding estate records of deceased persons, while similar requests from Blacks cannot be served? Not satisfied with the sweeping statement that this is the result of colonialism and apartheid, she follows the track of so-called “Native estates” through legislation, record creation and dispersal, records management and administrative neglect, authorised and unauthorised destruction, transfer and appraisal, selective processing, and (almost) final amnesia. Eventually she discovers over 11,000 forgotten surviving African estate records – but also evidence for the destruction of many others. And she demonstrates the potential of these records to interpret the lives of those who otherwise appear in history only as statistics – records which were condemned to destruction by colonial archivists stating they had “little research value and no functional value.” This study of memory against forgetting is a call to post-colonial archives to re-visit their holdings and the systemic colonial bias that continues to haunt them. This is the revised version of Ellen Namhila’s 2015 doctoral thesis published at the University of Tampere, Finland.


Developmentalism, Dependency, and the State

Developmentalism, Dependency, and the State

Author: Christopher Hope

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2020-08-17

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 3906927202

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Why does Namibia's economy look the way it does today? Was the reliance on raw materials for exports and on the service sector for employment an inevitability? And for what reasons has the manufacturing sector - the vehicle for economic development for many now-high income countries throughout the 19th and 20th centuries - seen its growth held back? With these questions in mind, this book offers an extensive analysis of industrial development and economic change in Namibia since 1900, exploring their causes, trajectory, vicissitudes, context, and politics. Its focus is particularly on the motivations behind the economic decisions of the state, arguing that power relations - both internationally and domestically - have held firm a status quo that has resisted efforts towards profound economic change. This work is the first in-depth economic study covering both the colonial and independence eras of Namibia's history and provides the first history of the country's manufacturing sector.