Dreams for Lesotho

John Aerni-Flessner is an assistant professor in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University.

• CaptionsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Political Changes and Basotho Responses: 1950s to Independence2. Development Efforts in the Colonial Period and the Rhetorical Consensus around Development3. Working for Development: Centralization, Youth Groups, and the Physical Infrastructure of Independence, 1960-19684. The Internationalization of Lesotho's Development Around the 1970 Coup5. Authoritarianism, Aid Increases, and the Anti-Politics Machine, 1970-19756. The Road to DevelopmentBibliographyIndex

"The great strength of this book is Aerni-Flessner's successful integration of the burgeoning literature on Lesotho with the huge array of analyses and interpretations of development. As reflected in the revealing oral histories given by his many Basotho and US Peace Corps informants, he brings acute sensitivity to Sesotho culture and the concerns of Basotho people from having himself been a volunteer in the heart of the country." —South American Journal of International Affairs"Over the years Lesotho has received hundreds of millions of dollars in development assistance; yet it remains one of the world's poorest countries. Drawing on extensive interviews and new documentary sources, John Aerni-Flessner's Dreams for Lesotho critically examines the development process at all levels, including how ordinary Basotho perceived and assisted in shaping development efforts at the grassroots level. This is a must read for anyone interested in development anywhere in the world." —Robert Edgar, Howard University"This book fills in a critical gap in the history of Lesotho and provides a context within which to view the legacy of development work in this country. Aerni-Flessner's examination of the dialectical relationship between development and nationalism in the discourse of pre- and post-colonial Lesotho sheds invaluable insight into the emergence of the anti-politics machine in the mid-1970s. Through his research on youth groups and women's organizations, the author keenly illustrates the role that the aspirations of the average Basotho played in constructing notions of nation and development. The book also situates development in Lesotho within the wider context of the anti-Apartheid struggle and cold war politics." —Scott Rosenberg, Wittenberg University"Aerni-Flessner's wonderful collection of primary research is his greatest asset. He has dozens of interviews of 'ordinary' Basotho and American Peace Corps volunteers, and a solid collection of archival documents from Lesotho, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Given how difficult it is to find sufficient primary sources in postcolonial African states, this is a rare trove. They contribute to an outstanding book." —John Clune, United States Air Force Academy"I'm unaware of any book currently on the market that tackles this specific material or topic. The author does a good job intertwining his discussion of the history of development in Lesotho with the perspectives of both the higher echelons of government and the man/woman on the street at the local level." —Philip Muehlenbeck, George Washington University