Abstract
Building Imperial Frontiers. Business, Science and Karakul Sheep Farming in (German) South-West Africa (1903–1939)
This article examines the development of Karakul farming at the colonial frontier of South-West Africa. It covers both the development of Karakul farming as a project for improving the economic conditions of the colonies, and its consolidation after the First World War. The paper is divided into two main parts. The first part focuses in particular on the network between agricultural scientists, who advocated genetic science, and German fur entrepreneurs, who searched for new suppliers of resources. This network ultimately led to the creation of Karakul farming in German South-West Africa. The article demonstrates that German business and scientists were much more active in colonial projects and German empire-building than existing business histories have shown. Secondly, after the loss of empire, the German fur business and colonial office continued to invest in Namibian Karakul farming, stimulating its recovery and boom in the 1930s. However, the article also argues that the consolidation phase went along with the decline of the (commercial) model of Karakul farming introduced before the war.
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