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Human-Lion Conflict and the Reproduction of White Supremacy in Northwest Namibia
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 October 2021
Abstract
Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, colonial governments used human-lion interactions to further their efforts to reproduce white supremacy in northwest Namibia. Drawing on archival, oral, and published sources, Heydinger presents this “animal-sensitive history,” which examines the central role of livestock in antagonistic human-lion interactions. The government has historically played a major role in securing European dominance over lions, while African pastoralists have suffered from human-lion conflict. Government interventions had lasting effects on human livelihoods and the geography of lion survival. Lions were eradicated on white farms, but they thrived in Etosha—where livestock were prohibited—and yet maintain a tenuous presence in Kaokoveld. Heydinger examines the ways in which human livelihoods and lion survival remain linked to one another to this day.
Résumé
Tout au long des dix-neuvièmes et vingtièmes siècles, les gouvernements coloniaux ont utilisé les interactions entre l’homme et le lion pour soutenir leurs efforts de reproduction de la suprématie blanche dans le nord-ouest de la Namibie. S’appuyant sur des sources archivistiques, orales et publiées, Heydinger présente cette « histoire sensible aux animaux, » qui examine le rôle central du bétail dans les interactions antagonistes entre l’homme et le lion. Historiquement, le gouvernement a joué un rôle majeur pour assurer la domination européenne sur les lions, tandis que les éleveurs africains ont souffert de conflit homme-lion. Les interventions gouvernementales ont eu des effets durables sur les moyens de subsistance des hommes et sur la géographie de la survie des lions. Les lions ont été éradiqués des fermes blanches, mais ils ont prospéré à Etosha - où le bétail était interdit - et maintiennent une présence ténue dans le Kaokoveld. Heydinger examine les façons dont les moyens de subsistance des hommes et la survie des lions restent liés les uns aux autres jusqu’à aujourd’hui.
Resumo
Ao longo dos séculos xix e xx, os governos coloniais recorreram às interações entre seres humanos e leões para os ajudar a manter a supremacia branca no noroeste da Namíbia. Com base em fontes arquivísticas, orais e publicadas, Heydinger apresenta a sua “história sensível aos animais”, na qual analisa o papel central desempenhado pelo gado nas interações antagonistas entre seres humanos e leões. Historicamente, o governo desempenhou um importante papel no processo de assegurar o domínio europeu sobre os leões, enquanto os criadores de gado africanos sofreram com os conflitos entre seres humanos e leões. As intervenções dos governos tiveram consequências de longo prazo nos modos de subsistência dos humanos e na geografia da sobrevivência dos leões. Os leões foram erradicados das propriedades dos brancos, mas prosperaram em Etosha — onde o gado era proibido — e ainda mantêm frágil presença em Kaokoveld. Heydinger analisa os modos como o sustento dos seres humanos e a sobrevivência dos leões permanecem até hoje ligados entre si.
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- © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association
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