Settler Societies

Settler societies in Africa were unique historical phenomena, combining elements of both colonialism and settler colonialism. Common to all the settler colonies in Africa was the demographic minority status of white settlers. This created a dual dependence. Settlers needed the support of European metropolitan powers on the one hand and the land and labor of indigenous Africans on the other. While white settlers have been in Africa since the sixteenth century, the turn of the twentieth century heralded the rise of modern settler states. Here the conflicts arising from this dual dependence became impossible to manage, leading to violent and protracted decolonization.