At home in the Okavango: narratives of belonging and emplacement among the white citizens of North West Botswana

Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis

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Abstract

[Truncated] The white citizens of the Okavango Delta in North West Botswana express a strong sense of belonging to the natural and social environments of their birth and upbringing. They tend to be proud and patriotic citizens who identify as African, are fluent in the national language, Setswana, and are passionate about the bush in which they live and work. The concept of autochthony refers to the connections between self and soil, between a people and their homeland. It encapsulates notions of deep and enduring connections to land, which in turn engender loyalty and commitment. The concept also implies a sense of community, tangible and imagined, among the citizenry. While autochthony provides a rich and nuanced means through which to explore the kinds of connections white citizens—or white Batswana as they identify—claim to the Okavango, the politics of describing a European-descended group as autochthonous to an African territory are highly problematic. Through drawing a distinction between what I term 'political‘ and 'experiential‘ autochthony, I suggest white citizens‘ connections to the places of their birth and upbringing can be fruitfully explored.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationDoctor of Philosophy
Publication statusUnpublished - 2010

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