Pastoralism in Africa

Michael Bollig is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Cologne. His publications include Risk Management in a Hazardous Environment: A Comparative Study of Two Pastoral Societies (Springer, 2006); The Practice of War: Production, Reproduction and Communication of Armed Violence (with A. Rao and M. Böck, Berghahn Books, 2007); and African Landscapes: Interdisciplinary Approaches (with O. Bubenzer, Springer, 2009).

“While the volume will be of interest primarily to African specialists, students of pastoralism also will find it instructive. End-of-chapter reference listings, a compact index, and 100 tables, maps, and photos support the papers.” · Choice“The book is massive – 525 pages of text including notes and references – and covers pastoral systems across the continent, from the early Holocene in the Eastern Sahara to contemporary pastoralists in North-western Namibia. The breadth and depth of the archaeological and ethnohistorical case studies is impressive and clearly one of the strengths of the volume.” · Nomadic Peoples“ [The volume’s] coverage is impressive in scope and it should serve as an important reference for those interested in the deep history of African pastoralism and the tremendous extent of its influence today. The volume makes a strong contribution to the archaeological, historical and ethnographic literatures on African pastoralism and coheres as a collection worth far more than the sum of its individual papers. The book is beautifully produced and is highly recommended for scholars of pastoralist systems in Africa, as well as for those elsewhere who might turn to the African case for deeper insight into the successes, failures and futures of pastoralist societies worldwide.”  ·  Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa

• Chapter 1. Specialisation and Diversification among African Pastoral SocietiesMichael Bollig and Michael SchneggPART A: THE PREHISTORY OF PASTORALISM IN AFRICAChapter 2. Herders Before Pastoralism – Prehistoric Prelude in the Eastern SaharaRudolph Kuper and Heiko RiemerChapter 3. 'I hope Your Cattle Are Well' – Archaeological Evidence for Early Cattle-Centred Behaviour in the Eastern Sahara of Sudan and ChadFriederike Jesse, Birgit Keding, Tilman Lenssen-Erz and Nadja PöllathChapter 4. Trajectories to Pastoralism in Northern and Central Kenya: an Overview of the Archaeological and Environmental EvidencePaul LaneChapter 5. From first Stock Keepers to Specialised Pastoralists in the West African SavannaVeerle LinseeleChapter 6. A Short History of Early Herding in Southern AfricaKarim SadrPART B: HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY DYNAMICS OF PASTORALISMChapter 7. Establishing a Pre-Colonial 'Modern' Cattle and Gun Society: (Re-)pastoralisation, Mercantile Capitalism and Power Amongst Herero in Nineteenth Century Central NamibiaDag HenrichsenChapter 8. The Emergence of Commercial ranching Under State Control and the Encapsulation of Pastoralism in African ReservesChristo BothaChapter 9. Land, Boreholes and Fences: the Development of Commercial Livestock Farming in the Outjo District, NamibiaUte DieckmannChapter 10. The Political Ecology of Specialisation and Diversification: Long-term Dynamics of Pastoralism in East Pokot District, KenyaMichael Bollig and Matthias ÖsterleChapter 11. Social-Ecological Change and Institutional Development in a Pastoral Community in North-Western Namibia.Michael BolligChapter 12. Pastoral Belonging: Causes and Consequences of Part-Time Pastoralism in North-Western NamibiaMichael Schnegg, Julia Pauli and Clemens GreinerPART C: VIOLENCE, TRADE AND CONSERVATION AND PASTORALISM IN AFRICAChapter 13. State, Conflict and Pastoralism in Contemporary Eastern Chad: The Case of Zaghawa-Tama RelationshipsBabett Jánszky and Grit JungstandChapter 14. Unofficial Trade When States are Weak: The Case of Cross-Border LivestockTrade in the Horn of AfricaPeter D. LittleChapter 15. Pastoralism and Trans-Saharan Trade: Transformation of a Historical Trade Route between Eastern Chad and LibyaMeike MeerpohlChapter 16. Pastoralism and Nature Conservation in Southern AfricaSusanne Berzborn and Martin SolichPART D: PASTORAL MODERNITIES IN AFRICAChapter 17. The Indigenization of Pastoral Modernity: Territoriality, Mobility, and Poverty in Dryland AfricaJohn G. Galaty