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Sites of Struggle: Essays in Zimbabwe’s Urban History Urban settlement in modern Zimbabwe dates back to the 1890s, when the Pioneer Column established their capital at Fort Salisbury. Resistance to colonial rule was quick to surface, and much has been written about the fight for Zimbabwe’s independence – particularly the uprisings in 1896/7 and the guerrilla war during the 1960s and 70s that brought independence to the country in 1980. The largely rural focus of operations during these two chimurengas, plus the contested claims over land rights, have tended to overshadow the social and political developments which occurred in the colonial towns and cities. Sites of Struggle illuminates both the variety and content of these developments: the spaces which were created for Africans in the urbanisation process; the contradictory responses of the colonial state; the effects of rural-urban linkages on labour organisation; and the struggles over the mapping the city along racial, class and gender lines. History, however, has no closing date. Raftopoulos and Yoshikuni argue that ‘the problems faced by colonial administrators continue to face their post-colonial counterparts, but in exacerbated form.’ Citing critical contemporary responses to the poor provision of health, housing and transport facilities in the cities, they conclude that the ‘urban political revival in the form of trade unions, residents associations, civic groups, NGOs and opposition parties, is a welcome development for democratic politics in Zimbabwe.’ 1999 (reprinted 2001): 210 x 145; 288ppISBN 0 7974 1984 5 Territory: World Praise for Sites: ‘Sites of Struggle: Essays in Zimbabwe’s Urban History is undoubtedly one of the most significant books published on Zimbabwe’s socio-economic and political history in recent years. Edited by Brian Raftopolous and Tsuneo Yoshikuni, two scholars with unquestionable scholarly credentials who have, in the past, produced pioneering work on various aspects of Zimbabwe’s urban social history, the book is published by the newest player in Zimbabwe’s book publishing industry, Weaver Press. It addresses various issues, which have, hitherto, been neglected by scholars of Zimbabwe’s historical past and, thus, fills a gaping hole in Zimbabwe’s historiography. ‘Sites should be of interest to both the serious scholar and researcher who has an interest in urbanisation studies in general and the history of Zimbabwean urbanisation in particular, as well as the casual reader who wants to understand the historical forces that shaped the development of Zimbabwe. The diversity of topics covered, the impressive research that went into the writing of each chapter and the highly impressive analytical rigour with which the contributors approached their subject will impress anyone who reads the book.’ -- Dr. A. S. Mlambo, Dept of Economic History, University of Zimbabwe, 2000 in Zambezia Contributors: Theresa Barnes is a Lecturer in the Department of History, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Patrick Bond is a Senior Lecturer in the Graduate School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witswatersrand, South Africa. Carl F Hallencreutz is a Lecturer with the Swedish Institute of Missionary Research, Uppsala. Preben Kaarsholm is a Lecturer with the Institute of Development Studies, Roskilde University, Denmark. Jon Lunn is working in the NGO sector in England. John Pape is Research Director of the International Labour and Research Information Group (ILRIG), Cape Town, South Africa. Richard Parry is based in the United Kingdom. Brian Raftopoulos is a Research Fellow with the Institute of Development Studies, University of Zimbabwe. Timothy Scarnecchia is based in the United States. Stephen Thornton is a senior manager in the health sector in England. Tsuneo Yoshikuni is a historian at Senshu University, Tokyo. His research focuses on urban/labour history in Zimbabwe. He has a D.Phil. degree from the University of Zimbabwe, with his dissertation entitled, ‘Black migrants in a white city: a social history of African Harare, 1890-1925’. His academic works include ‘Strike action and self-help associations: Zimbabwean worker protest and culture after World War I’, Journal of Southern African studies, vol. 15 (1988-9), pp 440-68. Contents
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