Classes, the mode of production and the State in pre-colonial Swaziland
Date
1976-09-13
Authors
Bonner, Philip
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Abstract
In this paper I seek to do three related things; to identify the dominant mode of production in the Swazi social formation and other possible subsidiary modes; to establish the existence or otherwise of classes in Swazi society; and to elucidate the development of the Swazi state. Before I start however I should like to make two disclaimers.
Firstly I make no pretence at theoretical rigour and have merely used the concepts employed in this paper to illuminate my material.
Secondly the questions raised by such concepts are not easily answered by the data I have at my disposal.
Swazi tradition I do not doubt will help to give answers to those questions, but first it will be necessary for those questions to be posed. This I did not do during my own fieldwork in Swaziland, and for that reason much of my paper will have a provisional ring. Nevertheless, despite these limitations I feel justified in venturing into this field. Swazi society does not as far as I can see fit into recent categorisations of pre-capitalist modes of production and its study may help in developing those categories further. At the same time the questions raised by this mode of analysis undoubtedly turn the spotlight on neglected areas of Swazi society and even if only partially or provisionally answered must help our understanding of how that society works. For that reason I make no apologies at undertaking such an analysis and merely ask that it be taken as much as a programme for research as the fruits of a completed project.
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented 13 September, 1976. Not to be quoted without the authors permission.
Keywords
Swaziland