Shaping the African Savannah

'At last the hauntingly beautiful arid landscape of northern Namibia has the historical analysis that it merits. Bollig, an anthropologist with long experience of the region, brings to life the long-term interaction of humanity, wildlife and the environment in a rich narrative that speaks to our age of global change.' Jane Carruthers, University of South Africa 'Michael Bollig is one of the world's most distinguished experts on the environmental 'entanglements' of African societies. Adopting a 'new materialist' approach to understanding human, livestock and wildlife impacts on the African Savannah in Namibia, Bollig examines how its environmental infrastructure reflects a historical dialectic of pastoralism, foraging, and hunting from colonialism to capitalism. This monumental work explores three possible futures for African drylands - conservation, mining or indigenous autonomy - which will determine whether Savannah environments can sustain Africa's indigenous peoples and their remarkable reservoir of biodiversity.' John Galaty, McGill University 'Erudite and compelling ... Who else but Michael Bollig can weave together archival materials, satellite data and cultural analysis in a comprehensive work that appeals to historians, anthropologists, economists, ecologists and basically everyone interested in the interplay of people, policy and an arid environment. This book contains lessons for everyone.' Steven Van Wolputte, University of Leuven 'Shaping the African Savannah is immensely stimulating, and not only for those who love reading everything about Namibia. It is a book that will appeal to the anthropologically-inclined, of course, but also to (environmental) historians, ecologists and geographers alike.' Michael Bollig, Journal of Namibian Studies '... richly detailed ... Recommended.' C. Higgs, Choice 'Shaping the African Savannah succeeds in making the global local and examines the Kaokoveld's environmental past, present, and future with nuance and sophistication. Much of the strength of this work lies in the detail and sensitivity with which Bollig approaches processes at the granular level and yet creates a story of environmental history and globalization that remains accessible to the majority of readers.' Cathy Skidmore-Hess, African Studies Quarterly 'The book offers a valuable comparative perspective to historians who focus on pastoralism and arid environments. It is also useful to scholars of conservation and wildlife management, as well as those researching the influence of international actors on indigenous systems of land tenure and resource management ... this is a rich study, finely textured and rooted in a deep familiarity with the people and local environment.' Meredith McKittrick, Agricultural History 'In this important new book, Michael Bollig provides an environmental history of the Kaoko region in North-Western Namibia while contributing to wider debates on colonialism, conservation, and land-use in Africa. Bollig has had a long research career based in North-Western Namibia (as well as in East Africa) which he pulls together in Shaping the African Savannah, sharing a wealth of knowledge and insights on the region's populations and environment.' Eduard Gargallo, Springer