"Untidy tools of colonialism". Education, Christianity and social control in Southern Rhodesia: the case of "night dances"
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Authors
Mhike, Ivo
Issue Date
2012-08
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
This article investigates the phenomenon of “night dances” as an expression of fluid
cultural identities and a medium for contesting power by the youth within the context of
the ‘civilising’ influences of education and Christianity. Mostly organised by mission
educated and semi-educated people and not by traditional elders in realms where the
latter had jurisdiction, the dances became a constant source of conflict. The organisation
and participation in these dances upset relations between the generations, particularly
between the youth and the gerontocracy (the latter in their capacity as custodians of
traditional, moral and cultural values, and in their position as functionaries of the state).
Dance became a social expression that entrenched intergenerational struggles between
the youth and the gerontocracy, and to some extent buttressed solidarity among the
young generation. Issues such as sexuality, organisation and control of labour, and
jurisdiction, inter alia, were avenues through which the escalating tensions between the
generations manifested themselves.
Description
Peer reviewed
Citation
Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae, vol 38, Supplement, pp 57-79
Publisher
Church History of Southern Africa
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
10170499