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Peasants, Settlers and Weavers in Africa Peasants, Settlers and Weavers in Africa Submitted for the PhD examination in economic history, 2006. ‘Structural and Institutional Change in a “Peasant” and a “Settler” Economy of Africa: Ghana and Zimbabwe, 1890-2000’ Department of Economic History, London School of Economics & Political Science. Copyright © 2007 D.A. Amanor-Wilks All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of review and debate, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission. Cover photos: Maize farmers in Zimbabwe © IFAD Rhodesian settlers in the 1890s, courtesy of National Archives of Zimbabwe Young Weaver in Bonwire, Asante © The author Cover Design by Eibhlín Ní Chléirigh 2 Abstract The thesis compares long-run economic change in a ‘peasant’ and a ‘settler’ economy of Africa. It seeks determinants of the more successful transition from primary to secondary industry in the ‘settler’ economy, Zimbabwe, relative to the ‘peasant’ economy, Ghana. These countries provide a natural ‘laboratory’ for viewing divergent growth trends in two former British colonies. The thesis argues that to explain why both countries did not develop more over the course of the twentieth century, we need to understand the relationship between endogenous and exogenous variables. The study draws a link between the distinct patterns of land ownership in the peasant and settler economies and the pattern of small-scale manufacturing. Where land remained in African hands, important indigenous institutions survived the impact of colonialism, including those designed to ensure the propagation of long-standing weaving traditions. Where land was alienated to European settlers, indigenous institutions were constrained. Yet no such distinction exists when it comes to factory production for bulk markets. In both countries industrialisation is predicated on conscious state intervention. In both countries, exposure to competition under economic liberalisation sees a collapse of large-scale firms. The thesis goes inside the textile sector in each country to look at the determinants of this pattern of economic growth and decline. It works through a number of variables that might explain African underdevelopment. The thesis considers geography, climate and population, culture and institutions, the role of the state in economic development and the role of individual entrepreneurs and statesmen. It argues that while each of these factors may enhance our understanding of African underdevelopment, the interplay of variables is so complex and the obstacles to competitive manufacturing so daunting that only enlightened intervention by a developmental state can bring about industrialisation in Africa. 3 To my mother, Grace Amanor-Wilks, who educated me and my father, Ivor Wilks, who helped me to discover the historian inside me. And for my daughters, Qondisile and Zandile Moyo, who made me keep my duty as an obedient parent, even though I’ve had a lot of work to do. 4 Table of Contents Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER ONE……………………………………………………………………………………....13 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................ 13 1.1 Preamble ........................................................................................................................... 13 1.2 Why Isn’t Africa Developed? ........................................................................................... 16 1.2.1 The development of African capitalism................................................................... 17 1.2.2 Nurturing capitalism in Africa................................................................................. 18 1.2.3 The state and industrialisation ................................................................................. 19 1.3 Methodology..................................................................................................................... 24 1.3.1 The ‘peasant-settler’ dichotomy in Africa............................................................... 24 1.3.2 Approach to research questions............................................................................... 27 1.3.3 Two paths to African development? The case studies............................................ 29 1.3.4 Definitions ............................................................................................................... 30 1.4 Primary Sources ................................................................................................................ 31 1.5 Secondary Sources ............................................................................................................ 33 1.6 Outline of the Thesis ......................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER TWO……………………………………………………………………………………....38 2 Economic Thought that governed the 20th Century and Controversies about African Underdevelopment ............................................................................................................................... 38 2.1 Capitalist Development: Markets or States? ..................................................................... 38 2.1.1 Adam Smith to Karl Marx....................................................................................... 40 2.1.2 From interventionism to modernisation theory........................................................ 44 2.1.3 The Washington Consensus..................................................................................... 49 2.1.4 Which model of industrial development?................................................................ 53 2.2 Is Peasant Farming Efficient? ........................................................................................... 56 2.3 Causes of Underdevelopment - Exogenous or Endogenous?............................................ 57 2.3.1 The impact of dependency theory............................................................................ 57 2.3.2 Geography and climate............................................................................................ 60 2.3.3 Culture and corruption............................................................................................. 63 2.3.4 Population................................................................................................................ 66 2.4 Synthesising the Two Views of African Underdevelopment ............................................ 70 2.4.1 A synthesis view...................................................................................................... 70 2.4.2 Theoretical tools for achieving a synthesis view ..................................................... 72 2.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 76 5 CHAPTER THREE…………………………………………………………………………………....78 3 The Land Question in Historical Perspective......................................................................... 78 3.1 The Limits of the ‘White Man’s Grave’ Thesis ................................................................ 82 3.2 Land, Labour and Capital.................................................................................................. 84 3.3 Asante and Matebeleland at the Turn of the Century........................................................ 92 3.4 The Role of the Chartered Company................................................................................. 95 3.5 Land Alienation and Tenure: The West African Lands Committee and the Morris Carter Commission ......................................................................................................................... 101 3.6 Land and Race Ideology.................................................................................................. 106 3.7 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 111 CHAPTER FOUR...............................................................................................................................112 4 A Question of Property Rights............................................................................................. 112 4.1 The Case for Private vs Communal Tenure .................................................................... 114 4.2 Conflict and the Problem of ‘Tradition’.......................................................................... 119 4.3 Property Rights and the Rule of Law.............................................................................. 123 4.4 Is Peasant Farming ‘Efficient’?....................................................................................... 133 CHAPTER FIVE……………………………………………………………………………………..135 5 Peasants, Culture and Economic Development ................................................................... 135 5.1 The Problem of ‘Embeddedness’ .................................................................................... 135 5.2 Moral Economy or Rational Peasant?............................................................................. 142 5.3 Capital Accumulation and the ‘Moral Economy’ of Peasants in Zimbabwe .................. 146 5.4 Peasant Rationality and the Ghanaian Cocoa Farmer ....................................................
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