Stones of Contention (eBook)

A History of Africa’s Diamonds

Todd Cleveland (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2014
240 Seiten
Ohio University Press (Verlag)
978-0-8214-4482-5 (ISBN)

Infos

Africa supplies the majority of the world's diamonds, yet consumers generally know little about the origins and history of these precious stones beyond sensationalized media accounts of so-called blood diamonds.Stones of Contention explores the major developments in the remarkable history of Africa's diamonds, from the earliest stirrings of international interest in the continent's mineral wealth in the first millennium A.D. to the present day. In the European colonial period, the discovery of diamonds in South Africa ushered in an era of unprecedented greed during which monopolistic enterprises exploited both the mineral resources and the indigenous workforce. In the aftermath of World War II, the governments of newly independent African states, both democratic and despotic, joined industry giant De Beers and other corporations to oversee and profit from mining activity on the continent.The book also considers the experiences of a wide array of Africans-from informal artisanal miners, company mineworkers, and indigenous authorities to armed rebels, mining executives, and premiers of mineral-rich states-and their relationships to the stones that have the power to bring both wealth and misery. With photos and maps, Stones of Contention illustrates the scope and complexity of the African diamond trade as well as its impact on individuals and societies.

Inhalt

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
One: An Introduction to Africa’s Diamonds
Two: Africa’s Mineral WealthMaterial and Mythical
Three: From Illusion to RealityThe Kimberley Discoveries, the Diamond “Rush,” and the “Wild West” in Africa
Four: Consolidation and ControlThe Birth and Growth of the Cartel
Five: Creating “New Kimberleys” Elsewhere in Africa
Six: The Experiences of African Workers on Colonial-Era Mines
Seven: A Resource Curse“Blood Diamonds,” State Oppression, and Violence
Eight: Mineral AssetsDiamonds and the Development of Democratic States
Nine: Africa’s DiamondsA Rough Past with a Brighter Future
Study Guide and Selected ReadingsDigging Deeper
Notes
Index

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 26.5.2014
• Reihe/Serie: Africa in World History
• Verlagsort: Athens
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Bergbau
• Schlagworte: African Studies
• ISBN-10: 0-8214-4482-4 / 0821444824
• ISBN-13: 978-0-8214-4482-5 / 9780821444825