The history and social structure of the Rehoboth Baster community of Namibia

Abstract

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This thesis examines the history and social organization of the Rehoboth Baster community of south-central Namibia. The community, which came into being in the mid-nineteenth century in the northern Cape Colony, emigrated to Namibia, and established itself at Rehoboth in 1870. The main theme of the historical section of the thesis is the marginal situation in which the Basters have usually found themselves: caught between larger -and often warring - communities

The contemporary section of the thesis looks firstly at the underdevelopment of the Baster Gebiet, at attempts which have been made to reverse the process, and at the response of members of the community. This is followed by an examination of the uneconomical effect of the subdivision of farming land, and of traditional attempts to counteract this. The effects of subdivision, and other developments, on social relations on school farms is examined next. The last two chapters examine Baster politics and racial attitudes, arguing that the particular nature of Baster politics is the function of a complex interaction between class, colour, and ethnic sentiments