Whose history counts : decolonising African pre-colonial historiography / June Bam, Lungisile Ntsebeza, Allan Zinn, editors.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Section I. Decolonising historiography. Of definitions and naming: "I am the earth itself. God made me a chief on the very first day of creation." -- Language as source of revitalisation and reclamation of indigenous epistemologies: contesting assumptions and re-imagining women identities in (African) Xhosa society -- The missing idiom of African historiography: African historical writing in Walter Rubusana's Zemk'inkomo Magwalandini -- Repositioning umakhulu as an institution of knowledge: beyond 'biologism' towards umakhulu as the body of indigenous knowledge -- The long southern African past: enfolded time and the challenges of archive -- Section II. The challenges of praxis. The study of earlier African societies before colonial contact in the former Xhalanga magisterial district, Eastern Cape: a case study of three villages in the district -- The home of legends project: the potential and challenges of using heritage sites to tell the pre-colonial stories of the Eastern Cape -- Considerations towards establishing equitable stakeholder partnerships for transformation in higher education in South Africa: A review of the challenges, constraints and possibilities in working on pre-colonial history -- Allegorical critiques and national narratives: mapungubwe in South African history education -- Conclusion.

"Originally planned as a fact-based book on the pre-colonial history of the Eastern Cape in the true tradition of history, this ground-breaking book focuses on epistemological and foundational questions about the writing of history and whose history counts. Whose History Counts challenges the very concept of "pre-colonial" and explores methodologies on researching and writing history. The reason for this dramatic change of focus is attributed in the introduction of the book to the student-led rebellion that erupted following the #RhodesMustFall campaign which started at the University of Cape Town on 9 March 2015. Key to the rebellion was the students' opposition to what they dubbed "colonial" education and a clamour for, among others, a "decolonised curriculum". This book is a direct response to this clarion call."--Publisher's description

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