Ovambo Politics in the Twentieth Century offers a paradigm shift from how studies typically treat the colonization of Africa. Using archival documentation from government and industry sources, Cooper offers a detailed historical analysis of the seven major communities comprising the Ovambo- Namibia's largest ethnic group. His examination reveals that these Ovambo communities engaged in competitive political relations with each other throughout the German colonial era as well as the subsequent occupation of territory by the white minority government of South Africa. Each community alternated...

Cooper shows how the reaction to slavery unveiled the characteristics of freedom and established the foundation for the human rights movement. The book demonstrates how the legacy of slavery continues to shape individual identity as well as the nature of state power to exercise discipline and control over its citizens.