The Power to Subvert. Government Discourse and Namibia's San Development Policy

Abstract: The Namibian San people live in poverty and marginalisation and that despite the country’s constantly increasing economic wealth. Quantifiable factors such as unemployment and education are identified as the roots of the problem, and are being addressed through aid programmes. These quantifiable factors do, however, only present an incomplete picture of the problem. By performing a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the government discourse that surrounds the San, I point out the importance of scrutinizing the non-quantifiable, the discursive side of the problem in order to get a deeper understanding of its causes. Using a theoretical framework centred around the role of knowledge and power structures in shaping reality, and postcolonial thought in understanding the origins of these structures I find that the colonial image of the San still haunts them today in defining how they are treated and therewith plays a role in their marginalisation. In order to comprehensively address the problem, these immaterial factors have to be taken into account.