The Research Seminar “African History” of the Department of History, University of Basel, joins the Basler Afrika Bibliographien for a Lunchtalk:

Gregor Dobler

Who counts as a „local intellectual“ in 20th century Northern Namibian history? Conceptual considerations, some biographies – and the question of sources

A focus on the work of ‘local intellectuals’ has helped African history and anthropology to overcome colonial narratives of modernisation, in which homogenous ‘local cultures’ stand in opposition to the modern world of independently thinking individuals. It draws our attention to differences in ‘the local’, highlights the intellectual labour that goes into interpreting the world, and makes us understand how critique of changing conditions (not least of colonialism) comes about.

The notion of ‘local intellectuals’, however, is also anchored in an elitist European understanding of intellectuality that favour certain ways of engaging with the world. It lets us look for people whose intellectual labor is explicit, written down, individualist and critical. This might hide other kinds of engagement which are often far more difficult to trace in archival sources. Using examples from 20th century Northern Namibian history, I highlight the chances, but also the constraints of a focus on local intellectuals. Without really offering solutions, I ask if and how we can use an engagement with local intellectuals to develop a fuller understanding of how local interpretations of the world emerge.

Gregor Dobler is professor at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg i.B. (Germany). He specialises in Namibian anthropology and history. In 2014, the BAB published his study Traders and Trade in Colonial Ovamboland in the Basel Namibia Studies Series.

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