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The Zulu Revolution

State Formation in a Pastoralist Society

Bibliographic Data

ID2594445
AuthorsDavid Shingirai Chanaiwa, David Chanaiwa (corresponding author)
Year1980
Volume23
Issue3
Pages1
Publication date1980-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAfrican Studies Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-0206 • E-ISSN: 1555-2462
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/523668
OpenAlexW2138725278
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited12

One cannot comprehend the demographic and political maps of contemporary Southern Africa, as well as the cultural-historical dynamics of the region during both the colonial and post-colonial periods, without first studying the changes caused by the Zulu revolution of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and by the accompanying Nguni-Sotho migrations into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and even Tanzania. Among the Nguni who occupied the present Natal province of South Africa, the revolution essentially was a violent counter-elite overthrow of the traditional political system and a transformation of the social order. The revolution was conducted throughout the reigns of five monarchical leaders: Dingiswayo (c. 1800-1818) who laid the foundations; Shaka (1816-1828) who established the Zulu kingdom and ruled at the peak of the revolution; Dingane (1828-1840) who was the first to encounter European encroachment upon Zululand; Mpande (1840-1872) who became a vassal of the Boers and the British; and Cetshwayo (1872-1884) who died in an armed resistance against British colonialism. The prolonged period of revolutionary warfare and the accompanying deprivations, known as the Mfecane among the Nguni and the Difaqane among the Sotho-Tswana, resulted in widespread migrations of peoples in different directions and destinations. Regionally, the Nguni-Sotho migrations led to militarization, conquest and nation-building, and to the absorption of alien peoples. The whole process resulted in the intermixing, intermarriage and assimilation of peoples of diverse origins, languages, and cultures and gave them an enduring sense of corporate identity

Ethnology · Geography · Linguistics · Livestock · Pastoralism · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · State (computer science · Zulu · African history and culture studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Computer Science · Forestry · Philosophy · South African History and Culture

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Unique citing works12
Citations per year0,29
Citation span1984 - 2025 (42)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 12
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