Dependance relations between Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and the Republic of South Africa : a literature study based on Johan Galtung's theory of imperialism

This literature study centres on Johan Galtung's 'A structural theory of imperialism' (1971), a theory which deals primarily with dominance relations between centre and periphery nations. The author applies a somewhat adjusted variant of the theory to the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (BLS), using the Customs Union Agreement as a starting point. He deals in particular with the question of migratory labour. On the cultural side of the issue, he concentrates on education and the news and entertainment media, i.e. newspapers, radio, film and television, with a view to finding out to what extent these operate within the confines of a dependency structure. He also pays attention to the role of South African advisors in the fields of constitutional, economic, technical and military affairs and to the use of diplomatic/quasi-diplomatic avenues for the propagation of political acts