Farm workers and the ‘Agrarian question’

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Review of African Political Economy

Volume 21, Issue 61

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Farm workers and the ‘Agrarian question’

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Author(s): Andries du Toit ^a

Publication date (Print): September 1994

Journal: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

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Abstract

The poorest, most insecure and the least visible of South Africa's black workers are those who live and work on its white‐owned farms. They have been oddly peripheral to the current land debate, partly due to the technocratic nature of the discourse of ‘development’ which has foreclosed consideration of the irreducibly political nature of local power relations. Farms are not mere units of production: they are structured by paternalist discourses — practices that weave power relations into the very fabric of social identity and daily life. Legal reform creates a space for contesting these power relations. This article explores some of the issues they face and tries to link these to larger questions of transformation.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): crea20

Journal ID (archive): CREA

Title: Review of African Political Economy

Publisher: Review of African Political Economy

ISSN (Print): 0305-6244

ISSN (Electronic): 1740-1720

Publication date (Print): September 1994

Volume: 21

Issue: 61

Pages: 375-388

Affiliations

^a University of Essex

Article

Publisher ID: 8704066 Coden ID: Review of African Political Economy, Vol. 21, No. 61, September 1994, pp. 375-388

DOI: 10.1080/03056249408704066

SO-VID: cf61547b-41be-441e-958b-fc4bb5d36d19

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Page count

Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 42, Pages: 14

Bibliographic Note

Beinart W, Delius P and Trapido S. . 1986. . “Agrarian History. ”. In Putting a Plough to the Ground . , Johannesburg : : Ravan Press. .
Bradford H. . 1988. . A Taste of Freedom: The ICU in Rural South Africa: 1910–1930 . , Johannesburg : : Ravan Press. .
1990. . ‘Highways, Byways and Culs‐de‐Sac: the Transition to Agrarian Capitalism in Revisionist South African History’. . Radical History Review . , Vol. 46/7:: 59––88. .
1990. . A Claassens, Umhlaba: rural struggles in the Transvaal in the ‘80s . , Johannesburg : : TRAC/Black Sash. .
Crais C. . 1992. . White Supremacy and Black Resistance in Pre‐industrial South Africa: the Making of the Colonial Order in the Eastern Cape, 1770–1875 . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .
Dubow S. . 1982. . ‘Land, Labour and Merchant Capital: the experience of the Graaff Reinet District in the pre‐industrial rural economy of the Cape, 1852–1872’ . , Cape Town : : Centre for African Studies. .
Hogan N. . 1987. . “‘The posthumous vindication of Zachariah Gqishela: reflections on the politics of dependence at the Cape in the nineteenth century’. ”. In Economy and Society in Pre‐industrial South Africa . , Edited by: Marks S and Atmore A. . Johannesburg : : Ravan. .
Krikler J. . 1987. . ‘Reflections on the Transition to Socialism in South African Agriculture’. . Africa Perspective . , Vol. 1((5,6)) December;: 95––120. .
Macmillan W M. . 1919. . The South African Agrarian Problem and its Historical Development: Lectures . , Johannesburg : : Central News Agency for the Council of Education. .
Marcus T. . 1989. . Modernising Super‐exploitation: Restructuring South African Agriculture . , London : : Zed. .
Morris M. . 1976. . “‘The Development of Capitalism in South African Agriculture: Class Struggle in the Countryside’. ”. In The Articulation of Modes of Production: Essays from Economy and Society . , p. 202––53. . London : : RKP. .
Murray C. . 1992. . Black Mountain: Land, Class and Power in the Eastern Orange Free State, 1880s to 1980s . , Edinburgh University Press. .
Nasson B. . 1991. . Abraham Esau's War: A Black South African War at the Cape, 1899–1902 . , Cambridge University Press. .
Newton‐King S. . “‘The Labour Market of the Cape Colony, 1807–1828’. ”. In Economy and Society . Edited by: Marks S and Atmore A. .
Ross R. . “‘The Origins of Capitalist Agriculture in the Cape Colony: a Survey’. ”. In Economy and Society . Edited by: Marks and Atmore. . p. 56––100. .
Scully P. . 1987. . The Bouquet of Freedom: social and economic relations in Stellenbosch district, 1870–1900’ . , University of Cape Town. .
1989. . ‘Liquor and Labour in the Stellenbosch District, 1870–1900’. In: . Paper presented at the ‘Cape: Slavery and After’ conference held at the University of Cape Town; . August 10–11– 1989 ; .
Shell R. . 1986. . ‘Slavery at the Cape of Good Hope: 1680–1731’ . , Yale University. .
Trapido S. . 1994. . ‘The Cape Dutch and Problems of Colonial Identity’. In: . paper presented at the Institute of Common‐wealth Studies; . February. 1994 ; .
Onselen C van. . 1992. . ‘The Social and Economic Underpinnings of Paternalism and Violence on the Maize Farms of the South‐Western Transvaal’. . Journal of Historical Sociology . , Vol. 5((2))
Williams G. . ‘Land and Freedom’ . , (CSDS Working Paper 1994).
Worden N. . 1985. . Slavery in Dutch South Africa . , Cambridge University Press. .
1990. . Farm Workers: Andrew Ball, ‘Oganising Farm Workers’. . South African Labour Bulletin . , Vol. 14((8)) May;
Centre for Rural Legal Studies. . 1993. . Proceedings of the 1993 Farm Labour Law Conference; . . 1993 ; , Stellenbosch . . CRLS. .
Ditlhake A. . 1990. . ‘Organising farmworkers’ . , FRRP Memo. .
Toit A du. . 1992. . The Farm as Family: paternalism, management and modernisation on Western Cape Fruit and Wine Farms . , Stellenbosch : : CRLS. .
1993. . ‘The Micropolitics of Paternalism: discourses of management and resistance on Western Cape Fruit and Wine Farms’. . Journal of Southern African Studies . , Vol. 19((2)) June;: 314––336. .
1994. . ‘Paternalism, Modernity and Democratisation on South African wine and fruit farms’ . , University of Essex. .
Hamman J. . 1992. . ‘Farm Workers and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act’ . , Stellenbosch : : CRLS. .
Murray C. . 1993. . ‘Farming backwards at a hell of a speed’. In: . paper presented at the post‐graduate seminar, Institute for Commonwealth Studies; . October. 1993 ; , London .
Nasson B. . 1984. . ‘Bitter Harvest: Farm Schooling for Black South Africans’. In: . Second Carnegie Inquiry about poverty and development in South Africa; . . 1984 ; , Cape Town . .
Velasquez B. . 1993. . ‘Keynote Address’. In: . Proceedings of the 1993 Farm Labour Law Conference; . . 1993 ; , Stellenbosch . . CRLS. .
Waldman P L. . 1993. . ‘Here you will remain adolescent experience on farms in the Western Cape’ . , University of Cape Town. .
Bernstein H. . 1990. . ‘Agricultural “Modernisation” and the era of Structural Adjustment: Observations on sub‐Saharan Africa’. . Journal of Peasant Studies . , Vol. 18((1)): 3––35. .
1992. . ‘Agrarian reform in South Africa: who? what? how?’. In: . Paper presented at the Ruth First Memorial Colloquium; . August 17–18– 1992 ; . University of the Western Cape. .
Klerk M De. . 1992. . ‘The Accumulation Crisis in South African Agriculture: Roots, Recent Developments and Implications for post‐Apartheid Transformation’. In: . paper presented at the workshop on Agriculture and Apartheid; . May 11–13– 1992 ; . Kingston , Ontario : : Queen's University. .
Francis E and Williams G. . 1993. . The Land Question’. . Canadian Journal of African Studies . , Vol. 29((3))
Levin R and Weiner D. . ‘The Agrarian Question and Politics in the “New” South Africa’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 57((1993)):29––45. .
Lipton M. . 1993. . “‘Restructuring South African Agriculture’. ”. In State and Market in Post‐Apartheid South Africa . , Edited by: Lipton Merle and Simkins Charles. . p. 359––407. . Oxford : : Westview and the University of the Witwatersrand Press. .
Vink N. . 1993. . ‘Presidential address: entrepreneurs and the political economy of reform in South African agriculture’. In: . address delivered at the annual conference of the Agricultural Economics Association of Southern Africa; . September. 1993 ; , Cape Town .
Williams G. . 1993. . ‘Setting the Agenda: a Critique of the World Bank's rural restructuring proposals for South Africa’ .
World Bank. . 1993. . ‘Options for Land Reform and Rural Restructuring in South Africa’ .

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Beinart W, Delius P and Trapido S. . 1986. . “Agrarian History. ”. In Putting a Plough to the Ground . , Johannesburg : : Ravan Press. .

[2] Bradford H. . 1988. . A Taste of Freedom: The ICU in Rural South Africa: 1910–1930 . , Johannesburg : : Ravan Press. .

[3] 1990. . ‘Highways, Byways and Culs‐de‐Sac: the Transition to Agrarian Capitalism in Revisionist South African History’. . Radical History Review . , Vol. 46/7:: 59––88. .

[4] 1990. . A Claassens, Umhlaba: rural struggles in the Transvaal in the ‘80s . , Johannesburg : : TRAC/Black Sash. .

[5] Crais C. . 1992. . White Supremacy and Black Resistance in Pre‐industrial South Africa: the Making of the Colonial Order in the Eastern Cape, 1770–1875 . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .

[6] Dubow S. . 1982. . ‘Land, Labour and Merchant Capital: the experience of the Graaff Reinet District in the pre‐industrial rural economy of the Cape, 1852–1872’ . , Cape Town : : Centre for African Studies. .

[7] Hogan N. . 1987. . “‘The posthumous vindication of Zachariah Gqishela: reflections on the politics of dependence at the Cape in the nineteenth century’. ”. In Economy and Society in Pre‐industrial South Africa . , Edited by: Marks S and Atmore A. . Johannesburg : : Ravan. .

[8] Krikler J. . 1987. . ‘Reflections on the Transition to Socialism in South African Agriculture’. . Africa Perspective . , Vol. 1((5,6)) December;: 95––120. .

[9] Macmillan W M. . 1919. . The South African Agrarian Problem and its Historical Development: Lectures . , Johannesburg : : Central News Agency for the Council of Education. .

[10] Marcus T. . 1989. . Modernising Super‐exploitation: Restructuring South African Agriculture . , London : : Zed. .

[11] Morris M. . 1976. . “‘The Development of Capitalism in South African Agriculture: Class Struggle in the Countryside’. ”. In The Articulation of Modes of Production: Essays from Economy and Society . , p. 202––53. . London : : RKP. .

[12] Murray C. . 1992. . Black Mountain: Land, Class and Power in the Eastern Orange Free State, 1880s to 1980s . , Edinburgh University Press. .

[13] Nasson B. . 1991. . Abraham Esau's War: A Black South African War at the Cape, 1899–1902 . , Cambridge University Press. .

[14] Newton‐King S. . “‘The Labour Market of the Cape Colony, 1807–1828’. ”. In Economy and Society . Edited by: Marks S and Atmore A. .

[15] Ross R. . “‘The Origins of Capitalist Agriculture in the Cape Colony: a Survey’. ”. In Economy and Society . Edited by: Marks and Atmore. . p. 56––100. .

[16] Scully P. . 1987. . The Bouquet of Freedom: social and economic relations in Stellenbosch district, 1870–1900’ . , University of Cape Town. .

[17] 1989. . ‘Liquor and Labour in the Stellenbosch District, 1870–1900’. In: . Paper presented at the ‘Cape: Slavery and After’ conference held at the University of Cape Town; . August 10–11– 1989 ; .

[18] Shell R. . 1986. . ‘Slavery at the Cape of Good Hope: 1680–1731’ . , Yale University. .

[19] Trapido S. . 1994. . ‘The Cape Dutch and Problems of Colonial Identity’. In: . paper presented at the Institute of Common‐wealth Studies; . February. 1994 ; .

[20] Onselen C van. . 1992. . ‘The Social and Economic Underpinnings of Paternalism and Violence on the Maize Farms of the South‐Western Transvaal’. . Journal of Historical Sociology . , Vol. 5((2))

[21] Williams G. . ‘Land and Freedom’ . , (CSDS Working Paper 1994).

[22] Worden N. . 1985. . Slavery in Dutch South Africa . , Cambridge University Press. .

[23] 1990. . Farm Workers: Andrew Ball, ‘Oganising Farm Workers’. . South African Labour Bulletin . , Vol. 14((8)) May;

[24] Centre for Rural Legal Studies. . 1993. . Proceedings of the 1993 Farm Labour Law Conference; . . 1993 ; , Stellenbosch . . CRLS. .

[25] Ditlhake A. . 1990. . ‘Organising farmworkers’ . , FRRP Memo. .

[26] Toit A du. . 1992. . The Farm as Family: paternalism, management and modernisation on Western Cape Fruit and Wine Farms . , Stellenbosch : : CRLS. .

[27] 1993. . ‘The Micropolitics of Paternalism: discourses of management and resistance on Western Cape Fruit and Wine Farms’. . Journal of Southern African Studies . , Vol. 19((2)) June;: 314––336. .

[28] 1994. . ‘Paternalism, Modernity and Democratisation on South African wine and fruit farms’ . , University of Essex. .

[29] Hamman J. . 1992. . ‘Farm Workers and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act’ . , Stellenbosch : : CRLS. .

[30] Murray C. . 1993. . ‘Farming backwards at a hell of a speed’. In: . paper presented at the post‐graduate seminar, Institute for Commonwealth Studies; . October. 1993 ; , London .

[31] Nasson B. . 1984. . ‘Bitter Harvest: Farm Schooling for Black South Africans’. In: . Second Carnegie Inquiry about poverty and development in South Africa; . . 1984 ; , Cape Town . .

[32] Velasquez B. . 1993. . ‘Keynote Address’. In: . Proceedings of the 1993 Farm Labour Law Conference; . . 1993 ; , Stellenbosch . . CRLS. .

[33] Waldman P L. . 1993. . ‘Here you will remain adolescent experience on farms in the Western Cape’ . , University of Cape Town. .

[34] Bernstein H. . 1990. . ‘Agricultural “Modernisation” and the era of Structural Adjustment: Observations on sub‐Saharan Africa’. . Journal of Peasant Studies . , Vol. 18((1)): 3––35. .

[35] 1992. . ‘Agrarian reform in South Africa: who? what? how?’. In: . Paper presented at the Ruth First Memorial Colloquium; . August 17–18– 1992 ; . University of the Western Cape. .

[36] Klerk M De. . 1992. . ‘The Accumulation Crisis in South African Agriculture: Roots, Recent Developments and Implications for post‐Apartheid Transformation’. In: . paper presented at the workshop on Agriculture and Apartheid; . May 11–13– 1992 ; . Kingston , Ontario : : Queen's University. .

[37] Francis E and Williams G. . 1993. . The Land Question’. . Canadian Journal of African Studies . , Vol. 29((3))

[38] Levin R and Weiner D. . ‘The Agrarian Question and Politics in the “New” South Africa’. . Review of African Political Economy . , Vol. 57((1993)):29––45. .

[39] Lipton M. . 1993. . “‘Restructuring South African Agriculture’. ”. In State and Market in Post‐Apartheid South Africa . , Edited by: Lipton Merle and Simkins Charles. . p. 359––407. . Oxford : : Westview and the University of the Witwatersrand Press. .

[40] Vink N. . 1993. . ‘Presidential address: entrepreneurs and the political economy of reform in South African agriculture’. In: . address delivered at the annual conference of the Agricultural Economics Association of Southern Africa; . September. 1993 ; , Cape Town .

[41] Williams G. . 1993. . ‘Setting the Agenda: a Critique of the World Bank's rural restructuring proposals for South Africa’ .

[42] World Bank. . 1993. . ‘Options for Land Reform and Rural Restructuring in South Africa’ .

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