Project description
Transforming cattle economies in Africa
During the colonial and post-colonial periods in southern and central Africa, various entities such as governments, scientists, entrepreneurs and settlers intervened to convert what were considered uneconomic attitudes of African pastoralists into profitable commodities. This transformation affected pre-existing cattle economies, pastoralist societies, rural ecologies and animal populations. The ERC-funded CATTLEFRONTIERS project provides the first historical account of these transformations. It will contextualise these processes within global history using the commodity frontiers concept. Specifically, the project will carry out several interlocking case studies focusing on French, Portuguese and Belgian (post)colonies. It will combine archival work with methodological approaches from African, social, economic, environmental, colonial and global history, as well as the history of science.
Objective
This project explores the transformations in cattle production in Southern and Central Africa during the colonial and early postcolonial period. During this period, (post)colonial governments, scientists, entrepreneurs and settlers promoted a broad range of interventions to overcome the allegedly uneconomic attitudes of African pastoralists and turn cattle into profitable commodities. Contested, adapted or eluded by African cattle herders and owners, these interventions transformed pre-existing cattle economies, pastoralist societies, rural ecologies and animal populations in many and often unexpected ways. This history, however, is still under-studied, only partially understood and marginalised in both African and global history. This project breaks new ground by offering the first history of these transformation processes from hoof to table, for multiple empires and over a long time frame, and by integrating them into global history through the concept of ‘commodity frontiers’.
It pursues these objectives through a series of interlocking case studies on French, Portuguese and Belgian (post)colonies in Southern and Central Africa. These draw on multi-sited and multilingual archival work and combine methodological approaches from African, social, economic, environmental, colonial and global history, as well as the history of science. The project not only rewrites and rethinks the history of Africa’s (post)colonial cattle economies. In so doing, it will also write livestock back into the agricultural and socio-economic history of Africa thus far focused on cash crops and minerals, integrate African cattle in global economic and commodity history and greatly enhance our knowledge of veterinary science and knowledge.
By analysing how the interplay of global capitalism, science and empire transformed cattle regimes in Africa and beyond, it will also enhance our understanding of current debates on the social and ecological costs of livestock production.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
9000 Gent
Belgium