Internal colonisation and an oppressed minority? The dynamics of relations between Germans and Afrikaners against the background of constructing a colonial state in Namibia, 1884-1990

Abstract

The paper aims to demonstrate how the colonial state, ostensibly engaged in a project designed to promote 'civilisation' and 'development', often struggled to contain serious disagreements about the nature of the colonial project among members of the white settler community. The 19th century is touched upon to demonstrate a state of affairs sharply at odds with recollections about the period by Europeans. The focus on the German colonial period (1884-1915) points to certain advances and innovations that the South African Administration, it is claimed, either ignored or terminated. The first phase of South African rule, 1920-1950, is a record of ideological conflicts in intra- and intergroup contexts. The post-1950 period demonstrates how South Africa constructed a form of colonial domination that amounted to establishing Afrikaner hegemony over the public sector in particular. From a German point of view, this amounted to a case of de facto internal colonisation.