Re-creating Eden

Emmanuel Kreike

This work analyzes the social and environmental impact of colonial conquest and pacification of Africa through a case study of the Angolan-Namibian borderlands.This work analyzes the social and environmental impact of colonial conquest and pacification of Africa through a case study of the Angolan-Namibian borderlands. These areas were exposed to three different systems of colonial expansion: German, Portuguese, and British (South African). This study demonstrates the interactions between social and environmental factors, structures and processes and shows that colonial conquest needs to be acknowledged as a major problem.It includes in-depth analysis of the late 19th to 20th century processes of social and environmental change at the village, household, and individual levels. It illustrates how refugees managed to restore a workable environment without massive outside aid and despite colonial exactions.

ContentsAcknowledgments ixAbbreviations xi1.Introduction: Colonial Conquest, Colonial Rule, and Socioenvironmental History 12.King Haudanu's Ponds: Environment and Society in the Middle and Northern Floodplain, 1879-1896 153.Making Wilderness: Pestilence, Colonial Conquest, and Famine, 1897-1915 354.The Divide: Colonial Pacification, Borders, and Population Flight, 1916-1930 575.Migrant Labor: Investing in Socioenvironmental Recovery, 1900-1960 816.Millet and Marriage: Domesticating the Middle Floodplain Wilderness, 1930-1960 1017.A Land without Flies: The Frontier beyond the Floodplain, 1930-1960 1298.The Search for Wilderness: Cattle Posts, Cattle Trails, and the Colonial Border, 1930-1960 1559.Conclusion 177Notes 187Selected Bibliography 263Index 287