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Paper short abstract:

By investigating professional and social exclusion at Rhodesia Railways, this research article shows how African railwaymen and their kin navigated this thoroughly exclusive workspace.

Paper long abstract:

This research article investigates in how far African railway workers and their families were able to participate in Rhodesia Railways, the largest transport infrastructure in colonial Zambia and Zimbabwe between 1945-1964. Participation and access as understood here focus on two key areas: the workplace and the home which were both highly regulated and striated. The 'Colour Bar' on the Rhodesia Railways prevented African railwaymen from taking up skilled and semi-skilled jobs before 1959. Additionally, Rhodesia Railways´ policies on employing female workers meant that almost no African women had access to formal employment on the Railways. Outside of work, an unofficial 'Social Bar' existed and access to so-called African Railway compounds, Villages and Townships was regulated by a combination of laws and Railway regulations. African railwaymen and their kin continuously worked with, against and around these restrictions. These responses to exclusion ranged from a political to the private level.