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14 - The Zulu Kingdom as a Genocidal and Post-genocidal Society, c.1810 to the Present

from Part II - Empire-Building and State Domination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2023

By
Michael R. Mahoney
Edited by
Ned Blackhawk ,
Ben Kiernan ,
Benjamin Madley  and
Rebe Taylor
General editor
Ben Kiernan
Ned Blackhawk
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
Ben Kiernan
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
Benjamin Madley
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Rebe Taylor
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania
Ben Kiernan
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
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Summary

White people have all too often stereotyped African leaders as bloodthirsty and barbarous, and none more than the Zulu kings. Nevertheless, a substantial body of reliable evidence and the consensus judgement of historians shows that, in the early 1800s, the Zulu kings Shaka and Dingane perpetrated the widespread of killing of innocent civilians as they tried to establish and maintain the Zulu kingdom. It is the contention of this chapter that these killings fit the definition of genocide under international law. However, today the Zulu people include the descendants of both perpetrators and victims of this genocide, and memories of this violence are suppressed or minimized. Despite this history of genocide, Zulu unity has proved to be a popular tool in the fight against colonialism and apartheid.

Keywords

ZuluShakaDinganepre-colonial African state formationcolonialismSouth Africa1800s
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge World History of Genocide , pp. 335 - 358
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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