IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/prodev/v25y2025i3-4p211-230.html

Development as (In)Justice: The Case of Namibia

Author

Listed:
  • Henning Melber

    (Henning Melber is affiliated with Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Uppsala, Uppsala County, Sweden; University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa; University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.)

  • Laura Camfield

    (Laura Camfield is the corresponding author (laura.camfield@kcl.ac.uk) and is affiliated with the Department of International Development, School of Global Affairs, King’s College London, UK.)

  • Uma Kothari

    (Uma Kothari is affiliated with University of Manchester, Manchester, England, UK.)

Abstract

This article critically examines the ongoing legacy of colonial land dispossession and its impacts on marginalized communities to reveal the limitations to achieving restorative justice. We focus on the unequal (re)distribution of land, the German Namibian reconciliation agreement and the threats posed by a planned German Namibian mega-project to produce green hydrogen, to advocate for development that delivers material benefits to marginalized groups and ensures intra- and inter-generational justice. Using the lenses of decoloniality and restorative justice, we argue that true decolonization requires commitment to substantive change through addressing the social structures that perpetuate material inequalities. We argue for a more pluralist, decolonial vision of justice to inform debates on restorative justice and to address these material inequalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Henning Melber & Laura Camfield & Uma Kothari, 2025. "Development as (In)Justice: The Case of Namibia," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 25(3-4), pages 211-230, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:prodev:v:25:y:2025:i:3-4:p:211-230
    DOI: 10.1177/14649934251388766
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14649934251388766
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/14649934251388766?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:prodev:v:25:y:2025:i:3-4:p:211-230. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.