Colonial and Postcolonial Logistics

This article addresses the logistical aspects of colonial and postcolonial governmental practices and the way in which such practices structured the African territory. In particular, it focuses on Zambia (Northern Rhodesia at time of British domination), a landlocked country located in the centre of...

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Main Author: Giulia Scotto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: TU Delft OPEN Publishing 2018-11-01
Series:Footprint
Online Access:https://ojs-libaccp.tudelft.nl/index.php/footprint/article/view/2044
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author Giulia Scotto
author_facet Giulia Scotto
author_sort Giulia Scotto
collection DOAJ
description This article addresses the logistical aspects of colonial and postcolonial governmental practices and the way in which such practices structured the African territory. In particular, it focuses on Zambia (Northern Rhodesia at time of British domination), a landlocked country located in the centre of Southern Africa, whose historical evolution, since it was conquered at the beginning of the twentieth century, is deeply intertwined with the discovery, extraction and export of copper and with the import of fossil fuel. In the first part, I introduce the concept of ‘colonial logistics’ intended as the modification and rationalisation of territories for military and political domination, and extraction and export of resources. In the second part of the article I show how, after independence, Zambia dealt with its complex geopolitical entanglement, partially inherited from colonial planning and partially generated by the end of direct forms of imperialism, which required the rerouting of its resources and the rebalancing of uneven territorial structures. The analysis of infrastructure development in postcolonial Zambia illustrates the competing strategies through which imperialist powers attempted to secure a new form of control on Africa and elucidates the role of logistics as a decisive tool to shape the African territory.
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spelling doaj-art-65159649ba54416096623ce291dc9dd52025-02-03T06:46:02ZengTU Delft OPEN PublishingFootprint1875-15041875-14902018-11-0112210.7480/footprint.12.2.2044Colonial and Postcolonial LogisticsGiulia Scotto0University of Basel, Urban StudiesThis article addresses the logistical aspects of colonial and postcolonial governmental practices and the way in which such practices structured the African territory. In particular, it focuses on Zambia (Northern Rhodesia at time of British domination), a landlocked country located in the centre of Southern Africa, whose historical evolution, since it was conquered at the beginning of the twentieth century, is deeply intertwined with the discovery, extraction and export of copper and with the import of fossil fuel. In the first part, I introduce the concept of ‘colonial logistics’ intended as the modification and rationalisation of territories for military and political domination, and extraction and export of resources. In the second part of the article I show how, after independence, Zambia dealt with its complex geopolitical entanglement, partially inherited from colonial planning and partially generated by the end of direct forms of imperialism, which required the rerouting of its resources and the rebalancing of uneven territorial structures. The analysis of infrastructure development in postcolonial Zambia illustrates the competing strategies through which imperialist powers attempted to secure a new form of control on Africa and elucidates the role of logistics as a decisive tool to shape the African territory.https://ojs-libaccp.tudelft.nl/index.php/footprint/article/view/2044
spellingShingle Giulia Scotto
Colonial and Postcolonial Logistics
Footprint
title Colonial and Postcolonial Logistics
title_full Colonial and Postcolonial Logistics
title_fullStr Colonial and Postcolonial Logistics
title_full_unstemmed Colonial and Postcolonial Logistics
title_short Colonial and Postcolonial Logistics
title_sort colonial and postcolonial logistics
url https://ojs-libaccp.tudelft.nl/index.php/footprint/article/view/2044
work_keys_str_mv AT giuliascotto colonialandpostcoloniallogistics