The Historiographical Development of the Concept “mfecane” and ...

historical voice on the mfecane narrative was virtually not heard in English; and
where it was (Molema), it served to enhance the dominant discourse. Against
the background of increasing control by the Native Affairs Department of African
land and labour, African history essentially remained in the hands of interested
European historians.
The underlying structure of the mfecane narrative, which had been established
in publications by 1846, was only modified slightly by 1928 through the addition
of histories of hitherto-unknown chiefdoms. Several themes came to the fore
during this period. Against the background of the efforts of the Milner
administration and successive Union governments at building a modern
industrial state, several authors detected nation-building as the underlying
motive of the Zulu, Ndebele, Basotho and Pedi states. These authors were also
influenced by the “great man” approach to history, generally condemning
African leaders as bloodthirsty savages. This pertained particularly to Shaka,
with only Posselt regarding him as a nation-building genius - a view not unlike
that of Omer-Cooper decades later. The authors continued to regard
Moshoeshoe as the one positive exception to all other African chiefs. Theal’s
idea of a depopulated Ndebele cordon sanitaire in order to discourage Zulu
attacks was repeated by some authors and in some works it was also mooted
as the motive for Shaka’s depopulations. Arbousset’s three-period hypothesis
for the Transgariep evaporated in this period. Most authors failed to detect a
“merry Africa”. They described the decade after 1820 as years of heightened
conflict, often portrayed in disastrous terms, followed by either an abrupt end to
the narrative or by more dislocations due to boer settlements. Lastly, the
misidentification of the Mantatees with the Tlokwa only occurred with writers
whose focus was outside of the greater Caledon Valley area, while those writing
on events within the area regarded the Tlokwa as a purely local actor. Only
Plaatje, Mhudi, 13-14. Plaatje also published a series of biographies of outstanding Barena,
mainly of Tswana-speaking chiefdoms, which were reprinted in S.T. Plaatje, ‘Biographies’,
English in Africa, 3 (1976), 11-30. Saunders, South African Past, 106-7. Smith, Changing Past,
134. The manuscript, J.H. Soga, Abe-Nguni Abo-Mbo Nama-Lala [1926]. J.H. Soga, The South
Eastern Bantu (Johannesburg, 1930). See also J.H. Soga, The Ama-Xhosa: Life and Customs
(Lovedale, [1932]).
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