Terence Ranger, 1929-2015

Bibliographic Data

ID4493937
AuthorsDiana Jeater (0000-0002-5303-5800, Great Zimbabwe University, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume81
Issue1
Pages306-315
Publication date2016-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistory Workshop Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-3554 • E-ISSN: 1477-4569
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/hwj/dbw008
OpenAlexW2343034332
LanguageEN
References cited11

Terence Ranger is probably best known to readers of History Workshop Journal for the 1983 collection he edited with Eric Hobsbawm, The Invention of Tradition . 1 However, he was first and foremost a historian of Africa, and specifically of Zimbabwe. His life is important partly because he made a significant difference to thinking about African history; but even more perhaps for what he taught us about the necessity, and also the pitfalls, of combining academic research and political engagement. Terry was a lovely man: generous, dryly witty, self-deprecating, given to eccentric African dress, and with an appreciative eye for attractive women, which somehow only added to his charm. Everyone who witnessed it will attest to his genius for encapsulating what mattered in a paper, panel or conference and for bringing participants together in a sense of valued joint endeavour. He regarded his own work with pride, but also as work-in-progress, always willing to go back and revise his position in the light of new arguments from young researchers, or new evidence in the archives.

Aesthetics · Art · Art history · Genius · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Pride · Sociology · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Anthropological Studies and Insights · History · Law

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