Varsity to host lecture
SOL PLAATJE University’s School of Humanities will be hosting a public lecture today – titled: From the Ashes Reborn: Reconsidering the “Time of Troubles” in Southern Africa in the Context of Global History – by Professor Jan-bart Gewald from the African Studies Centre, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
The lecture will take place at the Central Campus, Academic Building Room C113, starting at 1pm today.
Time of Troubles
According to the lecture abstract, in southern African history the period described as the Mfecane, or “Time of Troubles”, is seen as determining much of contemporary ethnic identity and land distribution in the sub-continent. However, recent work on societal collapse indicates that societies do not collapse due to single causes, history is far more complex and messy.
“We assert that the ‘Time of Troubles’/mfecane is more complex in origin and consequences than the activities of a single man, Shaka Zulu, or a single ethnicity, and can be better understood in the context of global interactions. This insight, coupled with a greater appreciation for global interactions, allows us to reconsider the Mfecane in the context of population growth brought about by the introduction of New World crops; climate change and resulting crop failures brought about by the volcanoes Laki in Iceland (1784) and Tambora in Indonesia (1815); mass-migration brought about by famine; the transition of the Cape in the context of the Global Napoleonic wars; rapidly industrialising Great Britain, in which massive population growth, mass-migration and professional standing armies were the norm and mass-migration of Boer settlers from the Cape in the Groot Trek of 1836.”
The paper draws on the disciplines of history, archaeology and anthropology and seeks to place this period of southern African history in a broader global context.
Gewald is a historian specialised in the social history of Africa. He is Professor of African History and Director of the African Studies Centre Leiden as of September 1, 2017.
His research has ranged from the ramifications of genocide in Rwanda and Namibia, through to the socio-cultural parameters of trans-desert trade in Africa. In addition, he has conducted research on pan-africanism in Ghana, spirit possession in the Republic of Niger, Dutch development co-operation, Africa in the context of globalisation, and social history in Eritrea.
For the past 15 years his prime research focus has been on the socio-cultural history of central Africa. Of late he has become interested in the “Animal Turn” in history, and is seeking to apply this in his research and supervision.
Furthermore, he has a particular interest in archaeology and has participated in archaeological research in southern Africa.
Gewald has acquired research funding from a wide variety of sources and was awarded research funding by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) for research programmes within the social sciences and humanities that dealt with the role of technology and consumption in African societies.