HI 398s: HISTORY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
TTh 2:30-3:45pm, Lovejoy 415
Version 1.0, 4 Feb 2007
Lindsay Braun
Office: 245 Miller
Email: lbraun@colby.edu
Office hours: 4:00-6:00pm M, T, Th, or by arrangement
Overview and Objectives
When asked about southern Africa, most people can say something. Beyond the beauty of the
region and the wildlife of its parks, people can usually think of a few things, like the HIV/AIDS
crisis, diamond and gold mining, Victoria Falls, apartheid, Shaka, Robert Mugabe, Cecil
Rhodes, Nelson and Winnie Mandela, and Doctor Livingstone (I presume). That familiarity
rarely goes deeper, and a basic understanding of the trajectories of southern African history is
rarer still. The challenges facing South Africa and its neighbors today are however deeply rooted
within its history, as part of ongoing struggles that neither began with European colonialism nor
ended with the South African democratic “miracle” of 1994.
In this course, we shall begin to fill in the picture of southern Africa’s history and explore the
major cultural, political, and social themes that have dominated it. At the same time, we will
maintain an awareness of the long-term repercussions of some of the subjects under study this
semester. We will focus most heavily upon the post-1800 history of the territory that today is the
Republic of South Africa, but arbitrary political and temporal boundaries rarely effect real
isolation. Therefore we must also touch upon the history of South Africa’s neighbors, including
the present-day nations of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, and
Swaziland (thus the regional label of this course). No prior background in African history or
geography is required or assumed but your learning curve will be steeper, as this course will be
divided between lecture and discussion and everyone is expected to contribute.
By the end of this course, you will have a command of the major landmarks and themes in
southern Africa’s history, and you will understand the trajectory that led to the southern Africa of
today. As a corollary, you will be better able to understand what you see and hear about southern
Africa today. You will also have some familiarity with sources in the history of southern Africa
and a few of the major points of historiographical contention over the last thirty years. Finally, I
hope that, at the conclusion of this course, you are moved to visit some part of southern Africa
and discover its rich heritage in person.
Notes About This Syllabus
Everything on this syllabus is important; you should read it carefully and refer to it frequently.
The paper copy you receive at the beginning of the course is, ideally, the final version, but
sometimes the unexpected intrudes and changes must be made. Therefore, the version posted on
the course website at any given time is to be considered the only truly holy version.
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 2
Requirements and Grading
This course will ideally be divided evenly (and dynamically) between lecture and discussion.
Your grade will be based upon course participation, a map quiz administered at the third
meeting, twelve weekly 500-word (roughly 2 pages) reaction papers, one critical book review
1200 words in length (4-6 pages), and a major paper roughly 4000 words (about 15-20 pages) in
length. Information on the requirements for your writing follows the class meeting schedule.
Read it carefully.
The weighting of the work in this course is as follows:
Map Quiz
Reaction Papers & Participation:
Book Review
Major Paper (bibliography and outline):
Major Paper (final draft)
5%
15%
30%
10%
40%
Grades will be assigned according to percentages of the total, with fractional percentages
rounded to the nearest full point (up or down). Those will correspond to the classic grading scale
(90s = A range, 80s = B range, etc).
As a fair warning, I do not change grades, except in cases of arithmetical error. I am not a slave
to mathematics, however; that’s better left to the scientists, Heisenberg notwithstanding. Effort,
or lack thereof, can raise or lower one’s grade.
Course Texts
This is a fairly intensive course, with a lot of different reading sources. The following books are
required and can be purchased at the Bookstore (some may arrive later due to difficulties in
procurement, especially the new edition of Sparks which will not be released until March.) Make
sure you get the editions listed by ISBN, because pagination and contents can vary.
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Leonard M. Thompson, A History of South Africa 3d ed. (Yale Nota Bene, 2001)
0300087764
Nancy Clark and William Worger, South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid
(Longman, 2003) 0582414377
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions (Seal, 2005) 1580051340
Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom (Back Bay, 1995) 0316548189
Allister Sparks, Beyond the Miracle: Inside the New South Africa 2d ed. (U. Chicago,
2007) 0226768597
All other readings are available on reserve or from electronic journals at Miller Library. Let me
know if you have any problems accessing them; a lot of reading for this course is handled
through the electronic reserve system, so it’s good to know about issues early.
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 3
Policies: Attendance
Attendance is expected at all class meetings and events, and will be taken by means of a sign-in
sheet. There is no “unexcused absence” allowance. Repeated absences (unless excused by
notice from the Dean or other appropriate authority) will lead to warnings, grading penalties, and
eventually dismissal from the course with a failing grade. Besides any direct penalties, however,
I can guarantee that poor attendance will result in a poor grade, as the in-class material does not
merely recapitulate the readings.
I do ask that you notify me of any planned College-sanctioned absences as far in advance as
possible, so that I may make alternate arrangements for any graded work you may miss. Students
on academic probation are further reminded that they that they cannot be excused from class
meetings because of extracurricular or athletic activities. Of course, any work missed due to an
excused absence is the sole responsibility of the student to complete.
Policies: Academic Honesty
The information in this subsection isn’t necessary for 99% (or more) of the students in my
courses, but unfortunate recent experience has prompted me to include it in my syllabi.
It is a gross understatement to say that academic dishonesty—cheating and plagiarism chief
among them—will adversely affect your grade. At the very least, you will receive a course grade
of F and a permanent mark on your academic record, and possibly suspension or expulsion from
the College. If you have any concerns or you’re not sure whether something is plagiarism, ask me
as soon as possible, before you turn it in. This guide, at the University of Oregon, may help:
http://libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students/
In short, the work you tender to me must be your own writing and ideas, with proper citation of
source materials. One final word of warning, about the always-tempting Internet: If you can find
something online, so can I.
Policies: Special Needs and Gizmos
Although I’m otherwise a technophile, gadgets in class are annoying, disruptive, and
disrespectful of everyone. Recording lectures and discussion is not permitted, nor do I permit the
use of personal communications devices (text or voice) in the classroom without specific
permission from me. Please turn your cellphone off before you come in. If you wish to take
notes on a laptop, get my approval first. Disruptions will adversely affect your grade.
If you have physical or learning differences that require special accommodations, a note from the
Dean of Students is required. I am not empowered to make such arrangements myself, but rest
assured that I will do everything in my power to address documented needs.
Policies: Everything Else
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 4
Policies on written assignments will be conveyed at the time they are made. See the Colby
Student Handbook or applicable College-wide regulations for information on all other matters. If
you are still in doubt about anything, please ask me.
Contact Information
I will try to make myself as available to you as possible. I’m often floating around outside of
normal office hours (though I tend to be unavailable between 11:00am and class time on
Tuesdays and Thursdays). I encourage you to come talk with me about anything that’s on your
mind regarding Africa, history, or our course more specifically. Email is also welcome.
Office hours: 4:00-6:00pm Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, or by arrangement
Office Location: Miller 245
Telephone: (207) 859-5338, x5338 from on-campus.
Email address: lbraun@colby.edu
A Special Request for “Shoppers”
Should you decide to drop this course in the first week, please contact me by email and let me
know. I would consider it a favor, because we have a waiting list and notice would ensure that
they get priority in filling your vacancy.
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 5
HI 398: HISTORY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
Meeting Schedule (subject to change—check the web version):
Listed readings are to be read and written upon before the meeting indicated.
WEEK 1: ORIGINS
T
6 Feb Introduction to the History of South Africa
Recommended:
Christopher Lowe, “Talking About Tribe” (web)
G. Mare, Ethnicity and Politics in South Africa (1993), 6-13
Th
8 Feb Who Were the First South Africans? Early Human Civilization in SE
Africa, the Zimbabwe Cultures, and the Southern Swahili Coast
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 1-15
Innocent Pikirayi, The Zimbabwe Culture (2001), 1-36, 123-55
Document 48, “Description of the Situation, Customs, and Produce of Some
Places in Africa (ca. 1517-18)” from Documents on the Portuguese in
Mozambique and Central Africa vol. 5 (1966), 355-71 (odd only; but pay
particular attention to sections 3 to 5).
WEEK 2: ENCOUNTERS
T
13 Feb Herders, Hunters, Sailors, and Settlers in Southernmost Africa to 1700
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 15-52
Robert Ross, “Ethnic Identity, Demographic Crises, and Xhosa-Khoikhoi
Interaction,” History in Africa 7 (1980): 259-71 [via e-journals]
John Wright, “Sonqua, Bosjesmans, Bushmen, and abaThwa: Comments and
Queries on Pre-Modern Identification.” South African Historical Journal
35 no. 2 (1996): 16-29
Th 15 Feb Dutch Settlement and Society at the Cape of Good Hope
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 52-69
Richard Elphick and Robert Shell, “Intergroup Relations: Khoikhoi, Settlers,
Slaves, and Free Blacks, 1652-1795” from The Shaping of South African
Society 1652-1840 (1989), 184-239
Map Quiz Today
WEEK 3: COLONIZERS
T
20 Feb The Cape Frontiers to the Early 19th Century and the Arrival of the British
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 70-80.
Nigel Penn, “Fugitives on the Cape Frontier” from Rogues, Rebels, and
Runaways: Eighteenth-Century Cape Characters (1999), 73-99
Noel Mostert, Frontiers: The Epic of South Africa’s Creation and the Tragedy of
the Xhosa People (1992), 211-53.
Thomas Pringle, “Boer Meets Bantu” in Robert O. Collins (ed.), African History
in Documents: Central and South Africa (1990), 164-69
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 6
Th 22 Feb European Visions of Southern Africa: Myths and Fantasies
FILM (in-class): Zola Maseko, The Life and Times of Sara Baartman (video 3821)
Readings:
Robert Gordon, The Bushman Myth: The Making of a Namibian Underclass
(1992), 1-42
Selection from Wm. Ten Rhyne, “A Short Account of the Cape of Good Hope...”
(1686), trans. B. Farrington, from I. Schapera, ed., The Early Cape
Hottentots (1970), 123-31 (odd pages only!)
WEEK 4: TREKS
T
27 Feb The Creation of the Zulu Nation and the Myths of the Mfecane
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 80-87
E. A. Eldredge, “Sources of Conflict in Southern Africa, c. 1800-1830: the
'Mfecane' Reconsidered,” Joural of African History 33 (1992), 1-35
N. Etherington, “Preface” from The Great Treks: The Transformation of Southern
AfricaI (2001), x-xxv.
Zulu oral traditions, excerpts from The James Stuart Archive (course website).
Th 1 Mar
Readings:
The Great Treks and the Formation of New African and Settler States
Thompson, History of South Africa, 87-109
Hermann Giliomee, “Settling in the Deep Interior” from The Afrikaners:
Biography of a People (2003), 161-92.
WEEK 5: NEGOTIATIONS
T
6 Mar
Readings:
Missionaries and Cultural Interchange in the 1700s and 1800s
Elizabeth Elbourne, “Early Khoisan Uses of Mission Christianity,” Kronos 19
(1992), 3-27.
J. B. Peires, The House of Phalo (1982), 64-78.
FILM (in-class): M. Scorer (BBC), Zulu Zion (1977)
Th 8 Mar
Reading:
African Strategies of Cultural Regeneration and Material Resistance
J. B. Peires, The Dead Will Arise (1989), 104-44
William W. Gqoba, “The Cause of the Cattle-Killing of the Nongqawuse Period”
in C. B. Hilliard, ed., Intellectual Traditions of Pre-Colonial Africa
(1998), 452-55.
WEEK 6: PROLETARIANS
T
13 Mar The Struggle for Land and Labor
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 110-32.
C. H. Feinstein, An Economic History of South Africa (2005), 22-46.
Keletso Atkins, “‘Kafir Time’: Pre-Industrial Temporal Concepts and Labour
Discipline in Nineteenth-Century Colonial Natal,” Journal of African
History 29 (1988): 229-44
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 7
Th
15 Mar BOOK REVIEWS DUE AT START OF CLASS
The Mineral Revolutions, Industrialization, and The End of African
Independence
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 132-41
Alan Lester, “Colonial Expansion, Industrialization, and Afrikanerdom” from
From Colonization to Democracy: A New Historical Geography of South
Africa (1996), 37-72
Charles van Onselen, “The World the Mine Owners Made” from New Babylon,
New Nineveh: Everyday Life on the Witwatersrand, 1886-1914 (2001), 146.
WEEK 7: CONFLICTS
T
20 Mar German Colonialism, Portuguese Claims, and the Scramble for (Southern)
Africa
Readings:
H. L. Wesseling, Divide and Rule (1996), 263-300
Tilman Dedering, “‘A Certain Rigorous Treatment of All Parts of the Nation’:
The Annihilation of the Herero in German South West Africa” in M.
Levene and P. Roberts, eds., The Massacre in History (1999), 205-22
Th 22 Mar From the South African War (1899-1902) to the Union (1910) and Beyond
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 141-153
Manelisi Genge, “The Role of the emaSwati in the South African War” in G.
Cuthbertson et al., Writing a Wider War (2002), 136-58
Jeremy Krikler, Revolution from Above, Rebellion from Below: the Agrarian
Transvaal at the Turn of the Century (1993), 220-235.
T
27 Mar SPRING RECESS—NO CLASSES
Th 29 Mar SPRING RECESS—NO CLASSES
(Start reading Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom—it is a long book but an engaging one, and you
may opt to read it in entirety.)
WEEK 8: ANTAGONISM
T
3 Apr
Readings:
The Roots of Segregation and Afrikaner Nationalism
Thompson, History of South Africa, 154-70
Sol T. Plaatje, Native Life in South Africa (1996 [1916]), 15-32
L. M. Thompson, “Afrikaner Nationalist Mythology” from The Political
Mythology of Apartheid (1985), 25-68
Th
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OUTLINE FOR MAJOR PAPER DUE BY 6PM
New Protests in South Africa and the Formation of Political Organizations
Thompson, History of South Africa, 170-177
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, 95-140
Julia Wells, “Why Women Rebel,” Journal of Southern African Studies 10 no. 2
(1983): 55-70.
5 Apr
Readings:
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 8
WEEK 9: FORMALIZATION
T
10 Apr The Political Implementation of Apartheid
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 177-89
Clark and Worger, Rise and Fall of Apartheid, 35-61
Th 12 Apr The World of Apartheid and its Contradictions
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 190-204
Clark and Worger, Rise and Fall of Apartheid, 61-86, 123-34 (documents).
(START reading Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions)
WEEK 10: UPRISING
T
17 Apr Fighting Apartheid: Strategies from the New ANC Generation to MK
Readings:
Thompson, History of South Africa, 204-220
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, 143-95, 227-239, 265-92 (skim between)
Umkhonto weSizwe manifesto (1961):
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/mk/manifesto-mk.html
Film (in-class): Generations of Resistance (video 562)
19 Apr South African Protest and Society through the 1970s: “Ethnicity,” Black
Consciousness, and the Soweto Uprising
Readings:
Clark and Worger, Rise and Fall of Apartheid, 137-46 (documents)
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, 451-510
G. Mare, Ethnicity and Politics in South Africa (1993), 52-67
S. Biko, “Let’s Talk About Bantustans” from I Write What I Like (1978), 80-86.
Th
WEEK 11: OTHERS
(Note: this week, both groups are to write on Dangarembga only, on the Tuesday schedule.)
T
24 Apr Life in the Late Colonial Societies: Gender, Race, and Culture
Readings:
FINISH Tsitsi Dangarembga, Nervous Conditions
FILM (outside):
Flame (video 3449); time/place TBA.
Th 26 Apr War and Decolonization North of the Limpopo
Readings:
David Birmingham, “Destabilizing the Neighborhood,” in Empire in Africa:
Angola and Its Neighbors (2006), 111-22.
Eduardo Mondlane, “Consolidation” in The Struggle for Mozambique (1983),
122-33.
WEEK 12: FREEDOM
T
1 May
Readings:
Apartheid in Crisis: the 1980s
Thompson, History of South Africa, 221-240
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, 513-58
Clark and Worger, Rise and Fall of Apartheid, 87-101
FILM (outside):
Mapantsula (video 828); time/place TBA.
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 9
Th 3 May
Readings:
The End of Apartheid and Emergence of Democratic Rule in South Africa
Sparks, Beyond the Miracle, pages tba.
Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, 561-625
Clark and Worger, Rise and Fall of Apartheid, 101-20, 147-54
WEEK 13: FUTURES
T
8 May
Readings:
Th
COURSE EVALUATIONS
Towards Stability or Crisis? The Political and Social Challenges of
Postcolonial Southern Africa
Sparks, Beyond the Miracle, pages tba.
Robert B. Lloyd, “Zimbabwe: The Making of an Autocratic ‘Democracy’”
Current History (2002): 219-24
Virginia van der Vliet, “AIDS: Losing ‘The New Struggle’?” Daedalus 130 no. 1
(2001), 151-84
10 May CLASS RESCHEDULED FOR FILM SHOWINGS (Mapantsula, Flame)
(and to work on your papers!)
nb.: You may also wish to attend a movie showing for HI 261 that is relevant to HI 398 and deals
with the Struggle period: Phillip Noyce (director), Catch a Fire (2006): at 7pm on M 30
Apr or T 1 May (two showings) in LV215.
W
16 May FINAL PAPERS DUE BY 2PM AT MY OFFICE, 245 MILLER
NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Recapitulation of key dates and deadlines:
15 February 2007:
20 March 2007:
12 April 2007:
16 May 2007:
Map Quiz
Book Review
Major Paper, Bibliography and Outline
Major Paper, Final Draft
...and, of course, your reaction papers every Monday or Wednesday.
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 10
Further information on writing for HI 398:
General Information. All work is to be typed. No handwritten work will be accepted. As your
writing is the major measure of your success in this course, I also expect it to be reasonably
sound stylistically. Although I do not have a standard chart of penalties for poor style (grammar,
punctuation, word usage, et cetera), such things impair understanding and annoy your reader,
predisposing them against your work. That simple fact alone usually ensures that stylistic flaws
are adequately penalized.
On issues of citation, however, I am far harsher. The major paper and book review are formal
pieces of writing, and I therefore require the use of Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition)
standards for citation and style. If you are not sure what that style guide is, or what it entails,
please talk to me or (even better!) visit the Farnham Writers’ Center just off the Miller Street on
the Roberts side (across from 14 Miller). If you use another standard style that you prefer, you
will need to make sure that I am OK with it, and that you are consistent in its use.
No late or make-up work will be accepted. The deadlines are absolute, and they are set far in
advance for that reason. Acts of man or God are not sufficient to move them. Only a letter from
the Dean has that power.
Reaction Papers (400-500 words, 2pp). Reaction papers on the readings are due once per
week; you must write eleven over the course of the semester. They are informal in prose, but
must be typed. The length range is sacrosanct: 400 to 500 words, as reckoned by the word count
tool found in most word processors. They will be scored based on the care you give to your own
ideas and the value of the questions you raise.
Reaction papers should record your thoughts on the session’s assigned readings, a sort of
intellectual travelogue. You should seek to answer questions such as: What was the argument of
the readings? How did they work together? What did you find interesting, new, or provocative
about them? Was there anything questionable? At the end of each paper, I would like you to
include at least one question for discussion (this need not count toward your word limit). That
question must not be a simple query for information, but instead a question designed to foster
conversation about the themes and ideas raised in the readings as you see them. The style of your
papers will naturally change as we move from more varied readings in the early portion of the
course to a few more involved books later on, but there is no expected format for the reaction
papers beyond their length.
Given the size of this class and our twice-weekly meeting schedule, we will divide the labor of
writing reaction papers. Participants with surnames A-M will tender a paper by noon each
Monday on the readings for Tuesday; participants with surnames N-Z will tender a paper by
noon each Wednesday on the readings for Thursday. There will be no reaction paper due for
the first week, and for the final week I will ask all of you to identify and discuss recent
developments in a “challenge” in the future of southern Africa that you have identified, using
African news sources, and bring it to class on May 8th. Email is an acceptable method of
tender for reaction papers.
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 11
Book Review (1200 words, 4-6pp). The book review is intended to allow you to flex your
interpretative muscles. It must be an evaluation of a book on southern African history or that
incorporates a strong historical component. I will provide a base list of “approved” books; you
may however bring other relevant books to me, and I may approve them. This is an especially
useful exercise if you decide upon your book and your paper topic at the same time and make
them complementary!
As regards content of your review, it should discuss, analyze, and evaluate the content of a book
rather than merely summarizing it. It should include both positive and negative criticisms. Use
the following questions as guidelines for the type of information that should be addressed by your
review, but be aware that not all questions will be relevant for all books, and you will need to use
your own judgment to determine how to integrate your evaluation of the book with the basic
summary a reader will need for orientation.
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Who is the author? What is her or his background, orientation, and qualifications? What
might the author’s interests be in promoting a certain point of view? Does she or he
strive for objectivity, showing more than one point of view? Are there obvious, or subtle,
biases to the work?
What thesis is the author trying to prove? What kind of evidence does she or he present
(or omit) to support the book’s argument? Is the case convincing, and why?
Where does the book fit in the literature on the subject? When was it first published? Is
it a primary (original documents) or secondary (interpretative) work? What contribution
does it make to the literature, and what might its uses be? (Often the author will set out
to situate their work in the broader literature in their own introduction or foreword.) Does
the book break new ground entirely, or does it revise another interpretation?
Does the book contain information of value to political, social, or economic history, or is
it within some other thematic category?
The book review is due on 15 Mar 2007 at the start of class.
Major Paper (4000 words, 15-20pp). The major paper will concern a topic in the history of
southern Africa that you will select in consultation with me, and which ideally should allow you
to mobilize your considerable knowledge from outside this course as well. They will go through
three major watersheds: consultation with me for selection and approval by 27 Feb 2007; the
tendering of a bibliography and rough outline (with tentative thesis) by 6pm on 5 April 2007;
and the handing in of a finished paper by the final deadline of 2pm on 16 May 2007.
You may choose to define your own topic, or select from a list I will provide around the end of
the second week. Once I have approved and recorded your topic, it may not be changed except
after consultation with me. I require the compilation of a bibliography of sources and a rough
outline precisely to avoid the possibility that a topic will prove to be unviable with the sources to
hand, and to ensure that your reading and research are underway long before the final deadline.
I am happy to look at early drafts of your papers, but I will not guarantee a turnaround of less
than two weeks. I will probably be faster than that, but it depends on many factors.
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 12
Internet resources you may find useful (FYI)
In the rapidly-changing universe of Internet resources, no list in print can ever be comprehensive,
or even accurate, for very long. This may however give you some ideas of places to start,
because Google is notoriously bad at evaluating the links it provides. For general research on
African state information, I am happy to help out, but for your own explorations The Library of
Congress maintains a fairly good international portal.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
Stanford University has a wide range of links organized by country; not all are live or fresh, but
many are useful.
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/africa/guide3.html
News Sources are many, especially in SA. Columbia University has a good clearinghouse site:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/africa/cuvl/newspapers.html
Another good index to world print-newspaper sites is this:
http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/
(Look under “Africa” and you can bring up just about any country that interests you.)
Government and Politics: South Africa
By far, the greatest Internet resources—in both quantity and depth—involve South Africa. The
South African government activated the Promotion of Access to Information Act (No. 2 of 2000)
on 3 February 2000. Under its terms, all SA Government information and records are to be open
to the public and available (in most cases) free of charge, subject only to a moratorium on certain
records created in the last 20 years and in other cases on the need to recoup reasonable expenses
for their provision. As a result virtually every SA government report produced in the last seven
years—and many from before that time, back to 1993—have been digitized and are available
freely on the Web. Resource limitations make it impossible for them to digitize everything, but it
is a remarkable achievement you can take advantage of. (It is even theoretically in the
democratic process—material is posted for public comment before introduction in Parliament.)
http://www.info.gov.za/
Stats SA is also worth a specific mention. It was created for the apartheid government to
monitor the country in the 1960s, but it was opened to public by Statistics Act 1999 and is now
used as an index of various processes in the country.
http://www.statssa.gov.za/
Finally, the Truth & Reconciliation Commission Proceedings are a vital piece of South Africa’s
history. It includes testimonies, which are graphic but moving.
http://www.doj.gov.za/trc/trccom.htm
Other resources, documents, and scholarship are also available on the wider web:
South African History Online (key documents from SA political history, articles, theses, etc).
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/sources/sources.htm (go back up to the root if you need)
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 13
ANC Historical Documents
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/
(key documents: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/keydocs.html)
News: South Africa
The Independent Online (material from many different SA newspapers; recently has come into its
own) is worth checking out specifically for SA:
http://www.iol.co.za
For SA print newspapers, one stands out for biting and “very SA” commentary that you do not
get in the others which model themselves on Europe and the USA: The Daily Sowetan. The
Sowetan was long a stern opposition voice, based in the townships around Johannesburg, and it
retains a powerful voice on domestic matters today.
http://www.sowetan.co.za/
SABC News (Broadcast corporation)
http://www.sabcnews.com/
Government and Politics: Zimbabwe
The Movement for Democratic Change, the Zimbabwean opposition led by Morgan Tsvangirai,
has a site that includes policy papers and other opposition concerns:
http://www.mdczimbabwe.org/
News: Zimbabwe
Despite the onlinenewspapers.com portal above, Zim’s newspaper scene requires some
commentary:
The Zimbabwe Herald and Chronicle, which are government-connected papers:
http://www.chronicle.co.zw/index.aspx
http://www.herald.co.zw/index.aspx
The Zimbabwe Independent, a business publication and one of two Zimbabwean private
newspapers:
http://www.thezimbabweindependent.com/
The other is the Zimbabwe Standard, which made the news on 1 February 2007 for threats
against its editorial staff, including a bullet in the mail:
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/
One more non-ZANU source is the Zimbabwe Times (internet only, launched in October to get
around Mugabe’s press laws)
http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/
Government and Politics: Lesotho
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 14
Lesotho Government Documents Portal:
http://www.lesotho.gov.ls/documents/default.php
News: Lesotho
The Public Eye:
http://www.publiceye.co.ls/
Government and Politics: Swaziland
http://www.gov.sz/home.asp?pid=2
Government and Politics: Namibia
Namibia’s government website is not nearly so helpful as SA’s, but you may find a few
documents of interest or search terms that can get you in the back door of other government
agencies’ websites (some of which have documents, such as Environment and Tourism).
http://www.grnnet.gov.na/Nav_frames/Gov_launch.htm
News: Swaziland
The Times of Swaziland is the largest of the Swazi papers.
http://www.times.co.sz/030.html
Government and Politics: Botswana
Botswana is second only to South Africa in transparency, in spite of recent concern over freedom
of speech and the press. However, they are still a far cry from SA in terms of actually getting
information via the Web. The main government site may be of some use.
http://www.gov.bw/
Botswana does have a statistics unit, the Central Statistics Office, which performs a similar
function to Stats SA in South Africa.
http://www.cso.gov.bw/
News: Botswana
Mmegi, published three times a week:
http://www.mmegi.bw/
The Botswana Gazette:
http://www.gazette.bw/
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 15
Languages: English, Afrikaans, isiNdebele, sePedi, seSotho, siSwati, siTsonga, seTswana,
tshiVenda, isiXhosa, isiZulu
City, Township, and Homeland: Divisions in Apartheid South Africa
Deborah M. Hart, “Political Manipulation of Urban Space: the Razing of District
Six, Cape Town” from S. Jeppie and C. Soudien, eds., The Struggle for
District Six, Past and Present (1990), 117-42
[homelands policy]
Themes? (weekly)
Opening week
-Class beginning
-Trends in Historiography?
Pre-Colonial Southern Africa
Who were the first peoples of southern Africa?
The “Bushman Myth”
Slavery and Intergroup Relations
Evaluating the African (Bushman Myth; Scientific Racism; etc)
Misuses of History (Great Zimbabwe, etc)
Formation of African States and Societies
The mfecane Debate and the Great Treks
The Right to the Land
Gender in 20th Century
Environment and Ecology
Industrialization and Labor
Missionaries and Millennarians (Nongqawuse)
Travelers (Parsons; Tshatshu/stoffels)
The “Thirty Years’ War,” Liberation Movements, and Late Decolonization
The New South Africa: Stability or Crisis?
Week One: Precolonial Southern Africa
A Introduction
B Early human civilization; Zimbabwe Culture; Swahili coast
Week Two: Itinerants and Colonists on the African Coast
A Hunters, Herders, and Sailors
B
Week Three:
HI 398s – Spring 2007 - 16
Holding Tank
Hermann Giliomee, “Fractious Frontiersmen” from The Afrikaners: Biography of a People
(2003), 58-87
J. B. Pieres, “Chiefs and Commoners” and “From the Reign of Phalo to the Triumph of Ngqika,
1700-1820” in The House of Phalo (1981), 27-63.
Robert Ross. Status and Respectability in the Cape Colony, 1750-1870. (1999)
http://0-site.ebrary.com.library.colby.edu/lib/colby/Doc?id=5006343