The conjuncture of gender, race and class

Abstract

Abstract taken from unidentified publication, section B6b, Political Science, p. 1212:

In this study population control in Namibia is explained in terms of class, race and gender, at the level of the social formation. The reproduction of labour power is analysed as an important 'terrain of battle', part of the ongoing struggle of the Namibian people for self-determination, a violent struggle, waged in Africa's last colony in their war for independence

However, explanation of population control policies in Namibia cannot be made in terms of the callousness of the medical profession, though they are callous, as evidence shows, nor even at the level of state policies. The 'family planning' campaign is discussed here in the economic, political and ideological context of South African apartheid rule and the political economy of Southern Africa. Population control policies are traced back to the era of German colonialism, in terms of land appropriation by white settlers, the migrant labour system and segregationist legislation. It is argued that present-day policies are a significantly different kind of population control targeted at the black Namibian population, with the intention of reducing their numbers at a time of economic recession and political change