Queering Colonialism

Although Bolliger does not answer all these questions, his work sets an agenda for scholars look-ing to challenge the assumptions, geographical parameters, and perhaps periodization of conflict in Namibia, Angola, and South Africa in the second half of the twentieth century. He paints a vivid picture of the ‘ vast and uneven “ middle ground ”’ of colonialism, engaging the historiography of African intermediaries by showing that there were not just two sides — African and colonial — but many. 8 Given the historical divides that Bolliger identifies between northern Namibia and the rest of the country, future studies might examine the experiences of Black former soldiers from central and southern Namibia. Still, by centering the experiences of Black former members of apartheid South Africa ’ s security forces, Bolliger underscores the evidentiary flimsiness of the region ’ s official histories and opens the way for further examination of what Southern Africa ’ s unevenly ‘ un-national ’ conflicts entailed for their diverse actors.