The experience of colonialism led to economies and societies being re-arranged in ways that have had far-reaching consequences.
As a researcher interested in colonial histories and their impacts on present-day development, I recently explored aspects of these legacies through a comparative analysis of Senegal and Ghana, based on previous archival research.
In the paper I explore connections between key colonial export crops and the everyday forms of climate vulnerability experienced in the two countries. I show how forms of exploitation that emerged in the context of colonial capitalism are linked to the form and uneven distribution of climate hazards in the present. These histories have profoundly shaped how people are exposed to record high temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns.
