Trade and Socioeconomic Change in Ovamboland, 1850-1906 (Studia Historica 35)

Ovamboland, located in northern Namibia, was the most important battlefield in the Namibians' long struggle for independence. Although nearly half of the country's population lives in Ovamboland, the history of the Ovambo communities has been a neglected area in research on Namibian history. Research has been hindered particularly by the scarcity and dispersion of source materials. By employing the hitherto unutilized sources of the Finnish Missionary Society Archive, Harri Siiskonen's dissertation opens up an entirely new perspective on the colourful history of Ovamboland. One of the most important catalysts of economic, political and social change, and causes of new kinds of problems in southwestern Africa was European-led long-distance trade, through which African communities were integrated into the world market during the nineteenth century. Harri Siiskonen's study Trade and Socioeconomic Change in Ovamboland, 1850-1906 analyses the effects of this critical period on the economic, social and political structures, and the external relations of the Ovambo communities. It is the first comprehensive contribution to the social and economic history of Ovamboland.

Softcover. English. Societas Historica Finlandiae. 1990. ISBN: 9789518915303 . 269 pp. Very good. Book No: 2506505