Ellen Hillbom
Professor, Deputy head of department, Director of third cycle studies, Department of Economic History
Endogenous processes of Colonial Settlement : The success and failure of European settler farming in sub-Saharan Africa*
Author
Summary, in English
This paper comments on studies that aim to quantify the long-term economic effects of historical European settlement across the globe. We argue for the need to properly conceptualise «colonial settlement» as an endogenous development process shaped by the interaction between prospective settlers and indigenous peoples. We conduct three comparative case studies in West, East and Southern Africa, showing that the «success» or «failure» of colonial settlement critically depended on colonial government policies arranging European farmer’s access to local land, but above all, local labour resources. These policies were shaped by the clashing interests of African farmers and European planters, in which colonial governments did not necessarily, and certainly not consistently, abide to settler demands, as is often assumed.
Department/s
- Department of Economic History
Publishing year
2016-09-01
Language
English
Pages
237-265
Publication/Series
Revista de Historia Economica
Volume
34
Issue
2
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Topic
- Economic History
Keywords
- cash-crop production
- colonial history
- settler farming
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0212-6109