Capitalists, peasants and land in Africa: A comparative perspective
Date
1991-08
Authors
Williams, Gavin
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Abstract
The paper compares the development of various forms of
capitalist and peasant agriculture and state policies
towards them in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania
during the coloniao and post-colonial periods. At first
sight, our four African examples appear to exemplify
distinct patterns of historical transformation: one
capitalist (South Africa) and two peasant, one (Nigeria) in
a 'capitalist' and one (Tanzania) in a 'socialist' context,
and an anmalous fourth version, combining capitalist and
peasant forms. However, wage labour and family labour are
found in agricultural production in all the countries
studied, and labour-, share- and rent tenancies are
important in several. These different forms of labour are
combined in single enterprises, both on capitalist and
peasant farms, and in the strategies adopted by individuals
and households to provide for their needs. Similarly,
governments of very different political persuasions have
often adopted similar policies to control, regulate and
'develop' rural people. Our four examples do not display
clearly divergent directions, but they are also not
obviously converging on some common destination. In
particular, they are not all undergoing the passage from
peasant to capitalist, or even to socialist, agriculture. In
some cases, the direction of change may be quite the
reverse.
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented August 1991
Keywords
South Africa. Rural conditions, Kenya. Rural conditions, Nigeria. Rural conditions, Tanzania. Rural conditions