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A History of Namibia: From the Beginning to 1990
Namibia gained its independence in 1990 after decades of struggle against South African rule. Before its battles with South Africa, the country spent years within the grip of German colonialism. In this book, the first general history of Namibia to be published in more than two decades, a celebrated historian and a renowned archaeologist provide fresh perspective on these events, as well as a detailed account of the country's precolonial period. The volume begins with an absorbing history of Namibia from earliest times to the arrival of German colonialism in the nineteenth century. Drawing on sources in English and German, the authors explore trajectories of migration, production, and power in the precolonial period, changes triggered by European expansion, and the dynamics of formal colonialism. They relate the full experience of German rule, including the genocide of 1904-1908, the wars of central and southern Namibia, and the fate of defeated Africans who were imprisoned in concentration camps. Final chapters discuss African nationalism, apartheid, and war between 1946 and 1990, and the development of Namibia in the two decades since independence. An invaluable introduction and resource, this volume reasserts Namibia's crucial role in the history of southern Africa and, with its rich insight and extensive bibliography, furthers responsible research on the country and the continent.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2011
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December 1, 2019Dense reading, but an excellent, exhaustive history of Namibia.
November 17, 2014
I liked this book because it tells a fascinating story well, and it has lots of information which is not easily found elsewhere. I also liked it because it sets out - dispassionately, but clearly - the full horror of the evil that was the German colonial period, with its Nazi-inspiring genocide.
I also liked it because it is pretty even handed about the evils of SWAPO too - not glossing over the war crimes and terrorism they committed - not least against their own people.
The maps are not always that clear. Much is made of the importance of the "Police Zone" (started by the Germans, continued by the South Africans) and the very different experiences people had depending on which side of it they lived - and yet nowhere is there a map showing where this line actually was.
Another mild annoyance is the constant intrusion of gender politics - clearly an obsession of the author's - on almost every page. The war between the Germans and the indigenous inhabitants is difficult to understand or visualise in the absence of information about tactics, weapons or uniforms. (To be fair, the chapters on the struggle with South Africa are much more detailed).
I don't mean to denigrate the importance of gender studies and feminist theory in the writing of history, but it would have been nice if we got more about battles than "the insurgents lost over 100 men and the Germans six" (why the disparity?) when we get a great deal of stuff - much of it seemingly speculative - on how and why different employment policies might or might not have empowered/disempowered women….
But on balance, a well written book dealing with a fascinating subject in a generally even handed manner.
I also liked it because it is pretty even handed about the evils of SWAPO too - not glossing over the war crimes and terrorism they committed - not least against their own people.
The maps are not always that clear. Much is made of the importance of the "Police Zone" (started by the Germans, continued by the South Africans) and the very different experiences people had depending on which side of it they lived - and yet nowhere is there a map showing where this line actually was.
Another mild annoyance is the constant intrusion of gender politics - clearly an obsession of the author's - on almost every page. The war between the Germans and the indigenous inhabitants is difficult to understand or visualise in the absence of information about tactics, weapons or uniforms. (To be fair, the chapters on the struggle with South Africa are much more detailed).
I don't mean to denigrate the importance of gender studies and feminist theory in the writing of history, but it would have been nice if we got more about battles than "the insurgents lost over 100 men and the Germans six" (why the disparity?) when we get a great deal of stuff - much of it seemingly speculative - on how and why different employment policies might or might not have empowered/disempowered women….
But on balance, a well written book dealing with a fascinating subject in a generally even handed manner.
September 4, 2013
this is the only book i could find on this subject, so it is good that it didn't stink.
three takeaways:
1 - current ethnic categories in namibia (herero, owambo, himba) are the generally the product of political negotiation between indigenous namibians, south africans and german colonists in the 1800's.
2 - many the key differences between namibia north and south of the veterinary line (infrastructure development, racial divides, political cohesion) can be traced to the difference between direct colonial rule south of the line and indirect rule in the north.
3 - namibia is among the most unequal countries in the world, and current political and economic institutions are not well positioned to deal with the grinding poverty experienced by rural farmers in the communal areas
three takeaways:
1 - current ethnic categories in namibia (herero, owambo, himba) are the generally the product of political negotiation between indigenous namibians, south africans and german colonists in the 1800's.
2 - many the key differences between namibia north and south of the veterinary line (infrastructure development, racial divides, political cohesion) can be traced to the difference between direct colonial rule south of the line and indirect rule in the north.
3 - namibia is among the most unequal countries in the world, and current political and economic institutions are not well positioned to deal with the grinding poverty experienced by rural farmers in the communal areas
March 15, 2018
Such a difficult history to put together given the lack of data in earlier periods and continued political spin in the colonial and post colonial path to independence. Result is more of a scholarly tome than a riveting history, but the authors acknowledge as much both in the introduction and conclusion.
November 22, 2016
Namibian History reviewed
August 13, 2022
This book covers the history of Namibia from the first human settlements up to the independence from South Africa in 1990 and has a small conclusion in which the author gives some comments on the first 20 post independence years. The book is a good introduction into Namibia, and is very well researched. Unfortunately, many parts are still hard to follow and many vacuums remains due to the lack of further investigation.
Unfortunately, as written history did not arrive to the region until after European colonization, the history before the those years is told only in the first chapter (until around the XVIII century ) through the use of archeology. Here, the little know about hunt and gatherers and the Bantu expansion from central Africa is summarized, in which the different dynamics of pastoralist and agriculturist societies are also summarized. Unfortunately, most of the archeology studies have been done only in the regions outside the agriculture heartlands (north and northeast) and many things remain to be investigated. This beginning is a very heavy chapter and unfortunately, very incomplete.
18th and 19thy century descripción of central, southern and northern Namibia is really interesting. I didn’t know that the actual Ethnic groups were mostly shaped during the modern times, seeing the whole balance of power between Nara, Herero, Owambo, kaoko, kavango, etc. peoples; their Afrikaans overloards (in central and southern Namibia) and the kingdoms in the north was very interesting. It is nonetheless very hard to follow the amount of different leaders, tribes and names under each page, making the reading very hard to follow.
The next chapters are focused on the colonial times, first under the German and then under the South Africans government, which turned with time ever more repressive and violent, instigating guerrilla conflict for the independence on Namibia. The author always separates the southern, central and northern communities, as these experience the colonial times in different ways, but always suffering from the racial discrimination of the white administrations and embroiled in the Cold War geopolitics up until before independence (right after the fall of the Soviet Union). The book also states the demons from the Namibia side of the fight towards the end of the colonial years under SWAPO, what gives a very interesting perspective into the reality of the region, in which there were atrocities committed by both sides and only the normal people would always suffer.
The Namibian war is one if the saddest parts of German/Namibian history that does not seem to come often in the knowledge of world history or even in the memory of the Germans. The debate over the genocide of Herero people should be broadened and accepted as the autor says, considering the attroicities committed to subdue the Herero and nama peoples.
Namibia has been independent for about only 30 years and the author laments how the conditions in the country haven’t improved over the years, keeping the mostly black population still in poverty.
Unfortunately, as written history did not arrive to the region until after European colonization, the history before the those years is told only in the first chapter (until around the XVIII century ) through the use of archeology. Here, the little know about hunt and gatherers and the Bantu expansion from central Africa is summarized, in which the different dynamics of pastoralist and agriculturist societies are also summarized. Unfortunately, most of the archeology studies have been done only in the regions outside the agriculture heartlands (north and northeast) and many things remain to be investigated. This beginning is a very heavy chapter and unfortunately, very incomplete.
18th and 19thy century descripción of central, southern and northern Namibia is really interesting. I didn’t know that the actual Ethnic groups were mostly shaped during the modern times, seeing the whole balance of power between Nara, Herero, Owambo, kaoko, kavango, etc. peoples; their Afrikaans overloards (in central and southern Namibia) and the kingdoms in the north was very interesting. It is nonetheless very hard to follow the amount of different leaders, tribes and names under each page, making the reading very hard to follow.
The next chapters are focused on the colonial times, first under the German and then under the South Africans government, which turned with time ever more repressive and violent, instigating guerrilla conflict for the independence on Namibia. The author always separates the southern, central and northern communities, as these experience the colonial times in different ways, but always suffering from the racial discrimination of the white administrations and embroiled in the Cold War geopolitics up until before independence (right after the fall of the Soviet Union). The book also states the demons from the Namibia side of the fight towards the end of the colonial years under SWAPO, what gives a very interesting perspective into the reality of the region, in which there were atrocities committed by both sides and only the normal people would always suffer.
The Namibian war is one if the saddest parts of German/Namibian history that does not seem to come often in the knowledge of world history or even in the memory of the Germans. The debate over the genocide of Herero people should be broadened and accepted as the autor says, considering the attroicities committed to subdue the Herero and nama peoples.
Namibia has been independent for about only 30 years and the author laments how the conditions in the country haven’t improved over the years, keeping the mostly black population still in poverty.
October 11, 2020
A decent history of Namibia, though on the dry and academic side. Starts off with a chapter on Namibia's archaeology, providing an overview of what we know about pre-18th century Namibian history, and then moves on to the 1700s and 1800s, the German period, the South African period, and independence in 1990. The afterword very briefly describes the state of Namibia since independence.
Namibia has quite the history - from tribal and political connections to South Africa in the pre-colonial period, to the atrocities and genocide suffered under German colonialism, to being incorporated into/taken over by South Africa after World War I including experiencing apartheid under South African domination, to liberation struggles led by SWAPO and the inauguration of a new more democratic (albeit imperfectly so) regime, to regional dynamics vis-à-vis Angola. Namibia remains today a highly unequal society that has not broken with the land and wealth inequality produced by colonialism. It also remains a one party dominant state, making further social and democratic progress difficult.
Namibia has quite the history - from tribal and political connections to South Africa in the pre-colonial period, to the atrocities and genocide suffered under German colonialism, to being incorporated into/taken over by South Africa after World War I including experiencing apartheid under South African domination, to liberation struggles led by SWAPO and the inauguration of a new more democratic (albeit imperfectly so) regime, to regional dynamics vis-à-vis Angola. Namibia remains today a highly unequal society that has not broken with the land and wealth inequality produced by colonialism. It also remains a one party dominant state, making further social and democratic progress difficult.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews