Violence and Memory: One Hundred Years in the 'Dark Forests' of Matabeleland, Zimbabwe(Social History of Africa)

Violence has powerfully shaped the history of Matabeleland from the 1890s to the 1980s, and silence has surrounded the history of this region of Zimbabwe, excluding it from national memory. This text aims to break the silence andredress the imbalance of Zimbabwe's national history. North America: Heinemann; Zimbabwe: Weaver

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Conquest, eviction and nationalism: life in the "dark forests" - violence and images of the land, 1893-1930; the violence of the state - forced migration and its consequences; the violence of the state - the second colonial occupation; the rise of nationalist violence; the transition to guerilla war, 1962-76. Part 2 Wars and their legacies: the liberation war in the Shangani; guerillas and civilians; independence and the dissidents; civilian perspectives on the 1980s conflict; the politics of development after unity; resolving the legacies of war? accountability, commemoration and cleansing.

Review :
Anyone who wants to understand Zimbabwe's current path to authoritarian rule would do well to begin with this richly-layered and thought-provoking study. ... a powerful indictment of the present through a longer historical lens. ... should be compulsory reading for anybody wishing to begin or end an insurgency war. ... an incisive, captivating, lucid and in-depth investigation of the relationships between anti-colonial resistance, nationalism, ethnicity and religion... This is a people's book - one that not only the people of Nkayi and Lupane will identify proudly with, but indeed all the people of Zimbabwe and the continent at large. It is a publication that should grace the bookshelves of discerning scholars of Africa and her history. This is a complex and fascinating book...revisionist history in the best sense of the term - challenging the orthodox view of an established historiography by bringing to light new data and subjecting it to fresh interpretation...the best account yet available of Zimbabwe's dreadful violence in the 1980s, and should be essential reading for all those interested in understanding the nature of the post-colony in Africa...In understanding violence, detail and context matter; and while social scientists may be frustrated that the authors of Violence and Memory have largely ignored social theories of violence, they will surely welcome the emphasis upon events and their gestation. This is an important book that should be widely read.