Abstract:
This paper examines the political economy of colonial commerce in Lesotho – then
Basutoland. It argues that although pivotal and appropriate, the political economy
narrative alone is limited as an explanation for other dynamics which shaped
Lesotho’s colonial commerce. It provides a radically simplified bi-polar picture in
which European and Indian traders (the more powerful actors) on the one hand,
and Basotho traders (the weaker actors) on the other, participated in antagonistic
silos. Using historical records and the political economy of Lesotho as a context,
this article identifies the existence of a dialectical and multifaceted relationship
between these two categories. This was manifested in the interdependent and
indispensable relationship between everyday economic pragmatism and collective
political activism. This is an under-played catalyst that contributed to the shaping
of the country’s business landscape in the colonial period.
