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"Melber, Henning"
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Colonialism, Land, Ethnicity, and Class: Namibia after the Second National Land Conference
Since independence in March 1990» the unequal distribution and ownership of land as a leftover of colonial-era dispossession and appropriation has been a major issue of sociopolitical contestation in Namibia. This article summarises the structural colonial legacy and the efforts made towards land reform. Reference points are the country's first national land reform conference in 1991 and the second national land reform conference in October 2018. The analysis points to the contradictory factors at play, seeking to contextualise land reform in between the colonial legacy of racial discrepancies and ethnicity as well as class, as more contemporary influencing factors. Seit der Unabhängigkeit Namibias im März 1990 sind die fortgesetzte ungleiche Verteilung und die Besitzverhältnisse von Land als Folge der im Kolonialismus vollzogenen Vertreibungen und Aneignungen ein wesentlicher Konfliktpunkt geblieben. Der Artikel fasst die strukturellen Konsequenzen der Kolonialzeit und die Bemühungen um eine Landreform zusammen. Als Bezugspunkte dienen die erste Landkonferenz im Jahr 1991 und die zweite Landkonferenz im Oktober 2018. Die widersprüchlichen Aspekte im staatlichen Umgang mit der Landfrage werden im Spannungsfeld zwischen kolonialer Erblast, rassischer Diskriminierung und Ethnizität sowie Klasseninteressen als neuen Einflussfaktoren thematisiert.
Journal Article
Africa’s Middle Classes
Since the early 21st century, the middle classes of the Global South became a focus of attention. However, a precarious minimum income was all it took to be considered middle class. But who exactly is middle class? As the term is applied, it should certainly not be confused with Marxist theories of class. It refers to a socio-economic status some-where between the highest and lowest echelons of society. What constitutes middle class remains all too nebulous. This article casts doubt on the positive political and economic impact and role ascribed to the declared growth of African middle classes. It argues that middle classness is a construct, which stresses the continued vagueness and fragility of this social segment in societies and cautions of too optimistic assessments when it comes to its role.
Seit Anfang des Jahrhunderts wurde den Mittelschichten des globalen Südens verstärkt Aufmerksamkeit zuteil. Doch es war nur ein prekäres Minimumeinkommen erforderlich, um zu den Mittelschichten gerechnet zu werden. Was aber versteckt sich genauer hinter diesen Mittelschichten? Der Begriff (im Englischen „middle classes“) sollte gewiss nicht mit marxistischen Klassentheorien durcheinandergebracht werden. Er verweist in erster Linie auf ein soziales Segment zwischen den obersten und untersten Gesellschaftsschichten. Was eine Mittelschicht ausmacht bleibt allzu nebulös. Dieser Artikel bezweifelt die positive politische und wirtschaftliche Rolle, die dem erklärten Wachstum afrikanischer Mittelschichten pauschal zugewiesen wird. Er argumentiert, dass es sich um ein Konstrukt von Pseudo-Klasse handelt, betont die Unklarheit und Fragilität des sozialen Segments und warnt vor allzu optimistischen Annahmen hinsichtlich der Rolle seiner Mitglieder.
Journal Article
Authoritarian Populism under Former Liberation Movements in Southern Africa
Former liberation movements, who replaced white minority regimes in Southern Africa with the support of an international solidarity movement, have in retrospective failed to meet the expectations, also measured against what they had promised. The transition towards majority rule paved the way for a new elite project, with less benefits for the ordinary people than originally hoped for. This article takes critically stock of what can be considered as the limits to liberation. It seeks to explain the context and legacy of the struggle for self-determination when it comes to the failures of true emancipation.
Journal Article
A Decade of Namibia
The terms in office of Namibia's president Pohamba are the focus of this political and economic history for the years 2004 to 2015. It summarizes the developments, which motivated to award him the Mo Ibrahim Prize for good governance.
eBook
Populism in Southern Africa under liberation movements as governments
Anti-colonial movements secured political power as governments in countries of Southern Africa. Populist discourses, which reinforce the patriotic history and heroic narratives of a 'big men' syndrome, are part of their political culture retaining continued legitimacy, not least in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, where national sovereignty was the result of a negotiated transfer of political power. This briefing presents a critical assessment of such populism as an integral part of the repertoire of former liberation movements as governments.
Journal Article
The African middle class(es) - in the middle of what?
This Briefing/Debate article critically engages with the middle class phenomenon, which emerged as a prominent focus in Development Studies a decade ago and has more recently also become the subject of more informed African Studies, adding necessary and more nuanced analysis.
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It critically examines the background and assumptions of the debate, pointing out the lack of class analysis, and suggests that the current focus still partly distracts from the underlying issues.
Journal Article
