Resistance and Rebellion in Black South Africa, 1830-1920

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9320149 COMAROFF, John COMAROFF, Jean This project will examine the various forms of resistance that arose among black South Africans, and especially the Southern Tswana peoples, in response to colonial overrule, 1830-1920; it will also explore how these forms of resistance laid a basis for present-day struggles toward democracy. The study, which will have a strongly comparative focus, conceives of "resistance" as an ensemble of strategies, a continuum ranging from everyday acts of refusal through dramas of alterity, carnivals of terror, rebellions and social movements, to formal political organizations. In exploring the conditions under which black South Africans have defied those who rule them, and in describing the means by which they have done so, the study seeks to answer a number of questions about the nature of resistance. In what circumstances do disempowered peoples seek remedy and redress in the law? When and why do they resort to other means, means either illegal or alegal? Do some forms of insubordination encourage or preclude others? What is the role of consciousness and intention in the motivation of protest--and in determining its historical significance? Is it possible to move beyond a purely reactive view of defiance to grasp the active cultural construction of its means and ends? How do we understand the roles of social class, ethnicity, race, gender, and generation in resistance? The investigation will involve the analysis of documentary sources, supplemented by interviews, in Southern Africa and Britain. The product will be a book, the third in a large-scale study of the social and political effects of colonialism.