A Teutonic ethnologist in the Windhoek district : rethinking the anthropology of Guenther Wagner

This chapter reviews the history of anthropology in Namibia, focusing on the work of Guenther Kurt F. Wagner, who was appointed as Assistant Government Anthropologist for South West Africa in 1949. Wagner's unpublished work, 'Ethnographic survey of the Windhoek district' (1951), shows that Windhoek was not occupied by antagonistic tribes in the 1950s. The study echoes Brigitte Lau's work on southern Namibia which, in contrast to the work of Heinrich Vedder, argues for an understanding of Namibian history which emphasizes cooperation instead of conflict. A new look at Wagner's work shows that in the urban area of Windhoek in the 1950s, there was more unity among the city's black inhabitants than an initial glance would seem to imply. Wagner's work is of particular relevance in Namibia today, where ethnic tension appears to be on the increase. An African Renaissance will be impossible if ethnic tensions do no decrease. Bibliogr., notes. [ASC Leiden abstract]