Twentieth century images of the Zulu : selected representations in historical and political discourse

Abstract

his dissertation examines representations of the Zulu in a variety of discourses. It also examines the role of black nationalisms in the construction of Zuluist discourse. The production of images of the Zulu began with the first Anglo-Zulu encounter in the nineteenth century. In 1879, the Anglo-Zulu War set a trend for image-making which was developed further in the twentieth century. The appearance of The Washing of the Spears and Zulu, initiated a chapter in the study of the Zulu which gave rise to publications that created startling mages of the Zulu. Despite the publication of the James Stuart Archive, as well as serious studies of the Zulu, authors continued to use the same popular interpretations of the Zulu. During the early twentieth century, the 'native question' dominated South African politics, while in the 1990s, political protest, conceptualised as aggressive marches by 'warriors' and tourism have been the major representations.