Description
Book SynopsisThis open access book offers a detailed study of the foundation and expansion of the Dutch Cape Colony to ask why certain regions in the global south became European settler societies from the 16th century onwards. Examining the different factors that led to the creation of the Cape Colony, Erik Green reveals it was a gradual process, made up of ad hoc decisions, in which the agency of indigenous peoples played an important role. He identifies the drivers behind settler expansion, explores the effect of inequality on long-term economic development and examines the relationship between settlers and the colonial authorities, asserting that they should not be treated as one homogenous group with shared economic interests. Assessing specific characteristics of the Cape Colony, such as the proposition it was a slavery economy, and comparing key insights of this study with the historiography of other settler colonies,
Creating the Cape Colony demonstrates the need to revise our under
Trade ReviewIn this stimulating and sophisticated study, Erik Green lets loose the theories and questions of much recent economic history on the particularly detailed data of the Cape Colony. The results are often surprising, notably regarding the considerable importance played by Khoesan labour. It is a model of comparative, quantitative research. * Robert Ross, Emeritus Professor of African history, Leiden University, The Netherlands *
Green has written a timely new economic history of the Cape Colony: one that uncovers the fragility of the Dutch East India Company operation, as well as the critical role played by indigenous Khoesan communities, as both laborers and resisters, in shaping economic and social institutions with a legacy that continues to impact South Africa in the present. * Anne EC McCants, Ann F. Friedlaender, Professor of History, MIT, USA *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Maps List of Tables 1. Understanding the Establishment of Settler Colonies 2. Indigenous Agency, the Cost of Trade and Initial Steps Towards a Settler Colony 3. Factor Endowments, Institutions and the Expansion of the Frontier 4. Was the Cape a Slave Economy? 5. Unequal We Stand 6. Elites, Coalitions and Settler Resistance Conclusion Bibliography Index
