Diamonds in the Rough

Corporate Paternalism and African Professionalism on the Mines of Colonial Angola, 1917–1975

Todd Cleveland (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

280 Seiten

2015
Ohio University Press (Verlag)
978-0-8214-2134-5 (ISBN)

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Diamonds in the Rough explores the lives of African laborers on Angola’s diamond mines from the commencement of operations in 1917 to the colony’s independence from Portugal in 1975. The mines were owned and operated by the Diamond Company of Angola, or Diamang, which enjoyed exclusive mining and labor concessions granted by the colonial government. Through these monopolies, the company became the most profitable enterprise in Portugal’s African empire. After a tumultuous initial period, the company’s mines and mining encampments experienced a remarkable degree of stability, in striking contrast to the labor unrest and ethnic conflicts that flared in other regions. Even during the Angolan war for independence (1961–75), Diamang’s zone of influence remained comparatively untroubled.

Todd Cleveland explains that this unparalleled level of quietude was a product of three factors: African workers’ high levels of social and occupational commitment, or “professionalism”; the extreme isolation of the mining installations; and efforts by Diamang to attract and retain scarce laborers through a calculated paternalism. The company’s offer of decent accommodations and recreational activities, as well as the presence of women and children, induced reciprocal behavior on the part of the miners, a professionalism that pervaded both the social and the workplace environments. This disparity between the harshness of the colonial labor regime elsewhere and the relatively agreeable conditions and attendant professionalism of employees at Diamang opens up new ways of thinking about how Africans in colonial contexts engaged with forced labor, mining capital, and ultimately, each other.

Todd Cleveland is a distinguished professor of history at the University of Arkansas. His books include these Ohio University Press titles: Sports in Africa, Past and Present (2020), Following the Ball: The Migration of African Soccer Players across the Portuguese Colonial Empire, 1949–1975 (2017), Diamonds in the Rough: Corporate Paternalism and African Professionalism on the Mines of Colonial Angola, 1917–1975 (2015), and Stones of Contention: A History of Africa’s Diamonds (2014).

* List of Illustrations* Acknowledgments* Chapter 1: An Introduction to Angola's Diamond Past Paternalism, Professionalism, and Place* Chapter 2: A Bountiful Place The Political Economy of Lunda, 1870-1975* Chapter 3: The Recruitment Process, 1921-75* Chapter 4: A Group Effort The Collaborative Process of Diamond Extraction, 1917-75* Chapter 5: Negotiating Stability Laborers' Work-Site Strategies, 1922-75* Chapter 6: Eventful Evenings Life after the Whistle Blew, 1925-75* Chapter 7: To Stay or to Leave The End of the Labor Contract, 1921-75* Epilogue* Notes* Bibliography* Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	15.7.2015
Reihe/Serie	New African Histories
Verlagsort	Athens
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Staat / Verwaltung
	Technik ► Elektrotechnik / Energietechnik
	Wirtschaft
ISBN-10	0-8214-2134-4 / 0821421344
ISBN-13	978-0-8214-2134-5 / 9780821421345
Zustand	Neuware