The presenter is Prof Diana Jeater (University of Liverpool). The presentation explores two strands in Zimbabwean historiography, and their influence on how a new generation of Zimbabwean historians have begun to find their own ways to tell their national history. On the one hand, Zimbabwe’s best-known historian, the British academic, Professor Terence Ranger, nurtured many skilled Zimbabwean researchers, but also reduced the space in which a truly home-grown form of Zimbabwean historical thinking could develop. On the other hand, the state imposed a teleological ‘patriotic history’ narrative of anti-colonial struggle up to 1980, after which all history became a footnote to that defining moment. Faced with these constraints, Zimbabwean historians have been forced to reflect on their practice and what defines their national stories. The presentation ends by highlighting new thinking in Zimbabwean historiography, rooted in local epistemologies, which takes exciting steps to explore what can be done to decolonise the academic hegemony of the Global North.

The seminar will take place virtually via Zoom. Click this link to register.