An overview of the Botswana urban class structure and its articulation with the rural mode of production: Insights from Selebi-Phikwe
Date
1981-06-02
Authors
Cooper, David
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Abstract
This paper is adapted from the paper of similar title recently
given at the "Symposium on Settlement in Botswana" in
Gaborone. Here I attempted to summarise, in a short paper,
some of the central findings and theoretical perspectives
which have been elaborated on in a series of four Working
Papers circulated under the auspices of the Botswana
National Migration Study - (NMS) (Cooper 1979, a, b, c, 1980,
henceforth WP1, 2, 3, 4). In these latter papers, the
central themes tended to be submerged under a weight of
empirical data and necessary qualifications/footnotes. It
was thus felt that a summary paper was worthwhile, in order
to generate a wider debate on issues concerning the Botswana
urban-based classes and their interrelations with the rural
class structure. Of course, what then possibly emerges
from such a brief overview is a class structure too crudely
drawn, and certain jupotheses which appear too unqualified.
These problems inherent in the paper for the Symposium
are equally applicable to this summary of the Working
Papers here. In addition, such an overview takes, for
instance, forms of land tenure in Botswana, the historical
generation of the labour reserve economy, etc., as an
accepted baseline with very little elaboration on this
background. Nonetheless, it is felt desirable to focus
this summary as much as possible on the issues of the class
structure, and therefore of necessity to take such background
coordinates as given. In this way, the discussion
to follow this paner might more readily be able to centre
on general problems of conceptualising the articulation of
modes of production in post-colonial African states, and
the accompanying class structures. If desired, some of
this Botswana socio-economic 'background'can be gone
into in this ensuing discussion.
In summarising the central arguments in these four
Working Papers, it must also be stressed that the fundamental
external determinants of Botswana's internal class structure are largely ignored by these Papers. These
include the economic role of USA and EEC capital through
direct (e.g. mining) investment and more importantly,
trading (e.g. cattle) linkages; the latters interrelationship
with the enormous input of foreign personnel into the
political realm of the Botswana state'; as well as the
effects, primarily economic, of South African capital in
its increasingly subordinate role vis-a-vis these other
capitals since Independence. These are thus taken as
additional 'givens' in this summary here of these Papers
which focused on the internal dynamics of the Botswana
social formation i.e. internal effects, which, though they
have their own relative autonomy/ are dominated by this
external dynamic.
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented 2 June, 1981
Keywords
Working class. Botswana. Selebi-Pikwe, Botswana. Rural conditions, Urbanization. Botswana. Selebi-Pikwe