Policing the Protectorate: The Role and Development of the Police in Colonial Botswana, 1885-1975.

Congratulations to Simon Bayani on the defense of his thesis, “Policing the Protectorate: The Role and Development of the Police in Colonial Botswana, 1885-1975.” 

His thesis committee included Dr Tim Stapleton (supervisor), Dr Warren Elofson and Dr Rowland Apentiik (supervisory committee members), Dr Don Ray (internal examiner: Political Science), and Dr Eliakim Sibanda (external examiner: Department of History, University of Winnipeg). Dr Hendrick Kraay was the neutral chair. 

We asked Simon to provide us with some insight into his thesis, and his Graduate studies experience in the Department of History at the University of Calgary.

Tell us about your thesis topic:

My thesis basically traces the development of the police in colonial Botswana. It focuses on the police force's functions, structure, challenges as well as its relationship with the colonial government of Botswana and neighboring territories. The colonial state in Botswana and other colonies was very complex. Administration differed from colony to colony (depending on motivations behind colonization). A topic like mine, therefore, provides an opportunity to understand the nature of colonial administration by focusing on the police force, which was an agent of the colonial state. Furthermore, my thesis provides insightful information necessary for understanding why the Botswana Police appears as it does today, the roots of its ethos, ranks, and overall existence. 

What was the most valuable outcome of the Graduate program for you?

Going through the PhD program in the Department of History here at the U of C has been an amazing journey for me. I met great people in the form of faculty, staff as well as fellow graduate students. But more importantly, the most valuable outcome from my program is the training in research and scholarship that I gained. Researching and writing my thesis showed me how much discipline I have and what I am capable of. It has also given me the confidence to pursue other research projects which I will be starting soon. 

What are the next steps/plans for you?

It is a little difficult to say for sure what I will be doing now that I have completed my program. But one thing for sure is that I will take some time to decompress and enjoy the summer after all the hard work that went into completing my program in record-time. After that, I have plans of researching and writing on other areas related to my thesis topic, while I look for academic jobs.