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Portrait of Ellen Hillbom. Photo.

Ellen Hillbom

Professor, Deputy head of department, Director of third cycle studies, Department of Economic History

Portrait of Ellen Hillbom. Photo.

Endogenous processes of Colonial Settlement : The success and failure of European settler farming in sub-Saharan Africa*

Author

  • Ewout Frankema
  • Erik Green
  • Ellen Hillbom

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