In the early period of the nineteenth century, there were great social and political transformations occurring in southern Africa, which became known as the Mfecane. The period was characterized by historian Elizabeth Eldredge as one of “tremendous demographic upheaval and revolutionary and social change”. The period of the Mfecane consisted of vast migrations, random raids, battles and recurring periods of hardships and scarcity for many indigenous people in the region. The Mfecane over the years has become a very debatable topic amongst historians, who considered the causes that led to the mass migration, its importance on Africa’s more current history, and whether it even sanctions an account on the developing history of South Africa. Unfortunately, with the lack of first hand evidence, the Mfecane is still considered an evolving history, but as time passes, new sources are being discovered. Most historians believe and agree that the social disruption of the Mfecane came from the expansion of the Zulu Kingdom, which conquered their neighboring competition the Ndwandwe. By doing so, they were able to set the stage for the first modern African state. However, historians are questioning the reasons behind the expansion of the Zulu kingdom.
There have been four theories that various historians support for the causes and history of the Mfecane movement in South Africa. First theory presented on the Mfecane was written by historian George McCall Theal .He believed that Africans naturally waged ‘barbarous tribal wars’ until the arrival of white people, who ‘pacified’ the interior, occupied ‘vacant land’ and established civilized government. Second theory developed about the Mfecane by historians J.D Omer-Cooper and J.B Peires, loo...
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History is formed through a combination of personal experiences, psychological state, personal objectives, relation with the interviewer, position in society and many other factors that cannot be scientifically monitored and accounted for. Thus, no historian has been able to filter through the many layers they need to in order to arrive at an accurate account of history. What “personal narratives” and “life histories” provide are numerous examples of the complexities and ambiguities that accompany any reconstruction of African history. Each account of history does not offer a different perspective from which one may view a particular event or time, simply because no two accounts have the same concept of location or time. Western and African romanticism has lead many historians to create and adapt scientific methodologies in order to penetrate the combination of personal objectives, interview limitations, and psychological intricacies that were present in each life history.
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