Haugh, W: Lyrical Nationalism in Post-Apartheid Namibia
Beschreibung:
When Namibia gained its independence from South Africa in 1990, the new government began dismantling the divisive apartheid state and building a unified nation-state. What does this new nation look like from the perspective of ordinary citizens? In Lyrical Nationalism in Post-Apartheid Namibia, Wendi Haugh provides an ethnographic portrayal of the nation as imagined by people living in the former ethnic homeland of Ovamboland, with a particular focus on the lyrics of songs composed and performed by Catholic youth. The author argues that these youth draw on conflicting ideologies-hierarchical and egalitarian, nationalist and cosmopolitan-from multiple sources to construct a multi-faceted sense of national identity. She reveals how their vision of the nation-framed as neutrally national-is deeply rooted in specific local histories and cultures.
This book explores how young people living in a former ethnic homeland in post-apartheid Namibia imagine the nation through songs they compose and perform. The author argues that these Oshiwambo-speaking youth draw on conflicting ideologies¿hierarchical and egalitarian, nationalist and cosmopolitan¿to construct a complex sense of national identity.
Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: A History of Nationalism in NamibiaChapter 3: Catholic Youth Songs in Ethnographic PerspectiveChapter 4: Shared Possessions, Shared Interests: The Nation as Individual(s)Chapter 5: Kings and Their Countries: The Nation as Hierarchical WholeChapter 6: Beyond Pagans: Building and Maintaining a Modern Christian NationChapter 7: Connecting Across Difference: Cosmopolitan NationChapter 8: Conclusion