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Wages, Gender, and Coercion : Socio-Economic Stratification and Labour Practices among the Khoe in Early Nineteenth-Century Cape Colony

Links, Calumet LU and Green, Erik LU (2025) In International Review of Social History 70. p.107-134
Abstract

This study investigates the wages and labour contracts of Khoe workers in Graaff Reinet, a district on the Cape Colony’s eastern frontier in the early nineteenth century. Using wage registers from 1801 to 1810, we offer the first individual-level analysis of wages for both male and female Khoe workers, examining payment forms, socio-economic stratification, and gendered wage dynamics. The findings highlight a persistently high reliance on in-kind payments – aligned with the pastoral economy and cultural preferences of the Khoe – but reveal a gradual shift towards cash wages, driven by the colonial administration’s efforts to reduce labour coercion. Gender disparities emerge as a critical theme, with female labourers experiencing higher... (More)

This study investigates the wages and labour contracts of Khoe workers in Graaff Reinet, a district on the Cape Colony’s eastern frontier in the early nineteenth century. Using wage registers from 1801 to 1810, we offer the first individual-level analysis of wages for both male and female Khoe workers, examining payment forms, socio-economic stratification, and gendered wage dynamics. The findings highlight a persistently high reliance on in-kind payments – aligned with the pastoral economy and cultural preferences of the Khoe – but reveal a gradual shift towards cash wages, driven by the colonial administration’s efforts to reduce labour coercion. Gender disparities emerge as a critical theme, with female labourers experiencing higher wage inequality and receiving a larger proportion of in-kind wages. The analysis underscores the intersection of colonial economic policies, labour practices, and social inequalities, challenging aggregate approaches to understanding inequality and living standards in colonial Africa. These insights expand our knowledge of coercive labour systems and frontier economies.

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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
International Review of Social History
volume
70
pages
28 pages
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:105000795949
ISSN
0020-8590
DOI
10.1017/S0020859025000082
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
644ffffa-0802-45a2-b549-931f8f80cc8d
date added to LUP
2025-09-12 12:09:13
date last changed
2025-10-14 12:35:40
@article{644ffffa-0802-45a2-b549-931f8f80cc8d,
  abstract     = {{<p>This study investigates the wages and labour contracts of Khoe workers in Graaff Reinet, a district on the Cape Colony’s eastern frontier in the early nineteenth century. Using wage registers from 1801 to 1810, we offer the first individual-level analysis of wages for both male and female Khoe workers, examining payment forms, socio-economic stratification, and gendered wage dynamics. The findings highlight a persistently high reliance on in-kind payments – aligned with the pastoral economy and cultural preferences of the Khoe – but reveal a gradual shift towards cash wages, driven by the colonial administration’s efforts to reduce labour coercion. Gender disparities emerge as a critical theme, with female labourers experiencing higher wage inequality and receiving a larger proportion of in-kind wages. The analysis underscores the intersection of colonial economic policies, labour practices, and social inequalities, challenging aggregate approaches to understanding inequality and living standards in colonial Africa. These insights expand our knowledge of coercive labour systems and frontier economies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Links, Calumet and Green, Erik}},
  issn         = {{0020-8590}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{107--134}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{International Review of Social History}},
  title        = {{Wages, Gender, and Coercion : Socio-Economic Stratification and Labour Practices among the Khoe in Early Nineteenth-Century Cape Colony}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0020859025000082}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S0020859025000082}},
  volume       = {{70}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}