Transitions in Namibia : which Change for Whom?

This volume completes the research project on “Liberation and Democracy in Southern Africa” (LiDeSA). It mainly addresses socioeconomic and gender-related issues in contemporary Namibia. Most of the contributors are either Namibian, based in Namibia or have undertaken extensive research in the country. Their interest as scholars and/or civil society activists is guided by a loyalty characterised not by rhetoric but by empathy with the people. They advocate notions of human rights, social equality and related values and norms instead of being driven by an ideologically determined party-political affiliation. Their investigative and analytical endeavours depict a society in transition, a society that is far from being liberated. Not surprisingly, this compilation explores the limits to liberation more than its advances. “The themes covered are extremely topical and reflect important challenges facing Namibian society today. The chapters in varying ways challenge the notion that there has been as much change to the economic and conceptual spaces as suggested by the state’s historical narrative which threads through all policy initiatives. One point that several of the papers suggest is that in some areas, relating to attitudes on gender for example, independence may not have actually marked such a pivotal point of `transition’ as might be imagined.” (Jeremy Silvester)