The rise of African nationalism in South West Africa/Namibia, 1915-1966

Abstract

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This study traces the development of anti-colonial resistance in Namibia between 1915 and 1966 in order to illustrate the various influences that led to the formation of a national liberation movement. Relatively detailed analyses are provided of the background to colonial policies and, in particular, the construction of a racial order in Namibia from the beginning of the colonial period. Two major periods of popular assertion are identified. The first of these occurred during the early 1920s when a variety of political organizations, including the Universal Improvement Association, helped to bring about an intensification of anti-colonial resistance in Namibia. The interconnection between the various manifestations of rebellion and defiance of colonial authority is demonstrated and the cause of resistance analysed. The second phase of resistance after World War II led up to the formation of the contemporary nationalist movement. It is argued that three groups of interests, the indigenous leadership, the contract workers and the intelligentsia, helped to launch the nationalist movement. The discrete interests and social consciousness of these three groups in both the domestic and exile environments are analysed. Finally, the dissertation analyses the causes of conflict and disunity within the nationalist movement and the reasons for the emergence of SWAPO as the dominant nationalist organization. These issues are analysed against the background of a theoretical framework which links the rise of nationalism to the interaction of the contemporary territorial state and cultural identifications