Please remember that the Workshop starts at 10:00am.
Some changes, Mbongiseni has double-dated but I have no doubt he will talk to us at a latter date. So we will have just one speaker today - Kirsten Ruether to attend to talk to us on her research on traditional healers, After that the usual free range discussion as we adapt their researches to the work we are doing individually.
We had four visitors today: Kristoff from Norway working on Norwegian Missionaries: Mbongiseni Buthelezi on Ndwandwe oral history and literature; Erin Freas-Smith on domestic workers in KZN 1940-60; Mageurite Poland the writer, researcher, noveiist historian. Everyone introduced their research but the discussion centred on two short paperswritten by Eva and Percy in which the reported on their thinking on their projects. The papers reflect the different positions each have reached and I think very clear statements. It was agreed that in a fortnight's time they will report on how they have advanced in the light of these discussions: Eva addressing specifically the nature and status of ABMission primary sources in KZN; Percy on a specific research theme.
Lungisile Ntsebeza, Democracy Compromised. Chiefs and the Politics of Land in South Africa, HSRC 2006. Mario joined the discussion which was introduced by Eva Jackson. We circled the important question of the role of chiefs in a democracy? Not as obvious as it might seem because it indicated a shift amongst at least one of our participants - who was now prepared to consider that they had a role at all. But can hereditary office have a role in a 'fully-fledged democracy'. We also turned to the question of writing a book with a clear intent to take a certain political (ain the broad sense) sense. And the role of theory came up - which brought up Mamdani. It was decided that at some time in this project we must re-read and come to terms with Citizen and Subject.Â
On Wednesday 27 February at 10:00 we are hosting the History Honours Students taking the Theory and Method module. I am going to talk briefly about the fundamental divisions of Historical source material before moving to the project I am just beginning on TAP - paying particular attention the way in the digitization of information, and its manipulation by computers has impacted on my (our?) approach to historical research.
This was done. The students introduced their research interests and after Jeff Guy's presentation there was an extended discussion on sources, and recording research using data bases working through the information with FreeMind. Heli finished with a demonstration of Zotero.Â
Professor Jeff Guy is a Research Fellow at the Campbell Collections of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Since 2007 he has invoved with Tradition, Authority and Power (TAP) - a research project led by Jeff Guy and run from the Campbell Collections.
Jeff Guy, Eva Jackson, Percy Ngonyama, Mario Kraemer, and Giuliano Martiniello participated.
Percy introduced Jo Beal’s 'Cultural Weapons: Traditions, Inventions and the Transition to Democratic Governance in Metropolitan Durban’ Urban Studies, 43, 2, 2006.
An extended discussion took place, covering many aspects of contemporary and historical aspects of ubukhosi, and ways to conceptualise them. I think it was agreed that the traditional-democracy spectrum should be critically revisited, if not jettisoned as an explanatory tool. What to put in its place remains a challenge for the workshop.
At the moment it would seem that we should have it at Campbell on Wednesday mornings and that it should last from 10.00 to 1130.
Mario Kraemer, University of Siegen, introduced his new book 'Violence as Routine: Transformations of Local-Level Politics in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) ' and about his ongoing comparative research into chieftainship in Namibia and KZN.
It seems as if a concentration of our research thinking on the region now under the eThekwini municipality be a useful way to move forward.
