Ferguson+pp+1-21(1)

The Anti-Politics Machine "Development,"Depoliticization, and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho James Ferguson University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis London

3 I Introduction The "development"industry in Lesotho Lesotho is a small, land-locked country in Southern Africa, completely surrounded by South Africa (see Figure I.1). The former British protec- torate of Basutoland,Lesotho became independent in 1g66.It has a population of about I.3 million, an area of about 3o,ooo square kilo- meters, and few economically significant natural resources. In 1981/2 the Gross National Product was about Ss86 million. The country is extremely mountainous, and only some ro percent of the land is arable; the rest is suitable only for grazing of livestock. Some gs percent of the population is rural , and most of that is concentrated in the"lowlands,"a narrow crescent of land lying along the western perimeter of the coun- try, conventionally contrasted with the much larger"mountain"zone to the east (see Figure I.2).1 Fields are cropped chiefly in maize, wheat, and sorghum; livestock include cattle, sheep, and goats. The most important source of income for most households, however, is wage labor in South Africa, where perhaps as many as 2 oo,ooo Basotho are employed as migrant laborers( GOL I₉8ʒ,World Bank 198I). In the period I97s-84,this tiny country was receiving"development assistance" from the following bilateral sources:2 Australia Israel Austria Korea Canada Libya Cyprus The Netherlands Denmark Norway Democratic Republic of Germany Saskatchewan (Canada) Federal Republic of Germany Saudi Arabia Finland South Africa Ghana Sweden Korea Switzerland Kuwait Taiwan (R.O.C.) India United Kingdom Iran United States Ireland

Introduction Figure I.I.Lesotho-political. Source: GOL I983, World Bank 1981. Figure 1.2.Lesotho-relief. Source: GOL 1g83, World Bank Ig8I.