T. O. Ranger – författare

Themes in the Christian History of Central Africa, edited by T. O. Ranger and John Weller, examines the complex encounters between Christian churches and other institutions in Central Africa over more than a century, from traditional cults and colonial administrations to settler regimes and, most recently, universities. Borne out of a 1971 workshop in Malawi that brought together both church leaders and academics, the volume underscores the dual role of Christianity as both a transformative influence on African societies and a body profoundly shaped by its historical, political, and cultural contexts. The editors argue that universities in particular are pushing churches to reconsider how they write, teach, and balance their histories—geographically, chronologically, denominationally, and in terms of whose voices are included.The book is structured in three parts. Part I focuses on historical case studies of Christian engagements with African religious and social systems, highlighting both accommodation and resistance. Part II addresses the churches’ political entanglements, including the charge of complicity with colonial rule, while also exploring their prophetic role in shaping nationalist thought and political change. Part III turns to seemingly internal or devotional matters—inter-church cooperation, lay movements, and religious orders—but shows how these too intersect with social, economic, and political realities. Throughout, the contributors stress the need for interdisciplinary approaches, integrating history, theology, and anthropology. By weaving together perspectives from both church-based and university-based scholars, the collection not only reinterprets the Christian past in Central Africa but also raises critical questions about the churches’ contemporary and future roles in African societies.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1975.

Dance and Society in Eastern Africa, 1890-1970: The Beni Ngoma explores the cultural phenomenon of Beni ngoma, a dance deeply connected to eastern Africa's history and colonial experience. Combining military-inspired music, drill-style choreography, and dynamic social hierarchies, Beni ngoma reflects and critiques colonial influences. This study traces its origins in Swahili traditions, its evolution across rural and urban settings, and its adaptation into forms like Mganda and Kalela. Using archival research, oral histories, and fieldwork, the book reveals how this vibrant cultural form became a powerful expression of African creativity and resilience during a period of profound social transformation.Written by a former University of Dar es Salaam professor, the book offers a fresh approach to understanding the colonial experience in eastern Africa through the lens of popular culture. It situates Beni ngoma within the broader context of social and cultural changes, examining its role in negotiating identity, resistance, and adaptation. Highlighting the interplay between African traditions and colonial modernity, Dance and Society in Eastern Africa invites readers to reconsider how festive practices illuminate the lived experiences of those navigating change. This book is ideal for history enthusiasts and cultural scholars seeking an engaging and insightful perspective on eastern Africa’s past.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1975.

Themes in the Christian History of Central Africa, edited by T. O. Ranger and John Weller, examines the complex encounters between Christian churches and other institutions in Central Africa over more than a century, from traditional cults and colonial administrations to settler regimes and, most recently, universities. Borne out of a 1971 workshop in Malawi that brought together both church leaders and academics, the volume underscores the dual role of Christianity as both a transformative influence on African societies and a body profoundly shaped by its historical, political, and cultural contexts. The editors argue that universities in particular are pushing churches to reconsider how they write, teach, and balance their histories—geographically, chronologically, denominationally, and in terms of whose voices are included.The book is structured in three parts. Part I focuses on historical case studies of Christian engagements with African religious and social systems, highlighting both accommodation and resistance. Part II addresses the churches’ political entanglements, including the charge of complicity with colonial rule, while also exploring their prophetic role in shaping nationalist thought and political change. Part III turns to seemingly internal or devotional matters—inter-church cooperation, lay movements, and religious orders—but shows how these too intersect with social, economic, and political realities. Throughout, the contributors stress the need for interdisciplinary approaches, integrating history, theology, and anthropology. By weaving together perspectives from both church-based and university-based scholars, the collection not only reinterprets the Christian past in Central Africa but also raises critical questions about the churches’ contemporary and future roles in African societies.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1975.

Dance and Society in Eastern Africa, 1890-1970: The Beni Ngoma explores the cultural phenomenon of Beni ngoma, a dance deeply connected to eastern Africa's history and colonial experience. Combining military-inspired music, drill-style choreography, and dynamic social hierarchies, Beni ngoma reflects and critiques colonial influences. This study traces its origins in Swahili traditions, its evolution across rural and urban settings, and its adaptation into forms like Mganda and Kalela. Using archival research, oral histories, and fieldwork, the book reveals how this vibrant cultural form became a powerful expression of African creativity and resilience during a period of profound social transformation.Written by a former University of Dar es Salaam professor, the book offers a fresh approach to understanding the colonial experience in eastern Africa through the lens of popular culture. It situates Beni ngoma within the broader context of social and cultural changes, examining its role in negotiating identity, resistance, and adaptation. Highlighting the interplay between African traditions and colonial modernity, Dance and Society in Eastern Africa invites readers to reconsider how festive practices illuminate the lived experiences of those navigating change. This book is ideal for history enthusiasts and cultural scholars seeking an engaging and insightful perspective on eastern Africa’s past.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1975.

A classic work from Terence Ranger now back in print.Draws on a wide range of archival and oral sources to argue that the history of African peasants in Zimbabwe produced a specific consciousness which meant that peasant participation in the guerrilla war was different from the peasant role in Mau Mau or in the war in Mozambique. It also examines the changing relations between the peasantry and the Zimbabwean state after the 1980 elections.North America: U of California Press

Terence Ranger uses a regional history to examine colonialism and its appropriation of land, as well as the popular resistance to this colonial rule.The Matopos Hills of Zimbabwe have been occupied by humanity for some 40,000 years. They are the home for a number of shrines, and have become a scene of symbolic, ideological, political and armed conflict between the Shona, Ndebele and Europeans for more than 100 years.Many questions in Matopos history are crucial to the history of Matabeleland as a whole, and some central to the history of Zimbabwe: the right relationship of men and women to the land; the nature of culture; the dynamics of ethnicity; the roots of dissidence and violence; and the historical bases of underdevelopment.North America: Indiana U Press; Zimbabwe: BaobabJOINT WINNER OF THE TREVOR REESE MEMORIAL PRIZE 2001

These two companion volumes on Soldiers and Society give new perspectives on Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.This work is an attempt to look at some of the realities of Zimbabwe's liberation war and at what happened afterwards, rather than at the comfortable myths. Both heroic and terrible deeds are recorded.Zimbabwe: University of Zimbabwe Publications

These two companion volumes on Soldiers and Society give new perspectives on Zimbabwe's liberation struggle.This work examines people's beliefs, ideas and experiences both during Zimbabwe's liberation war and afterwards. The contributors look at African religion and Christianity and explore the efforts to educate people for a new society. They also look at the ideas used by whites to justify brutality and at the civilian experiences at the hands of the guerillas and the Fifth Brigade. Finally, they ask whether the new ideas were carried on after the war had ended.Zimbabwe: University of Zimbabwe Publications

Terence Ranger collected a range of sources, including the archive of Thompson's papers, the National Archives and oral interviews.This work provides a collective biography of Thompson Samkange and of two of his sons, Sketchley and Stanlake. Thompson Samkange was born in 1893 at the time that his land was being overwhelmed from the South. He was one of the founders of the African press. Stanlake Samkange, Professor of History and writer of historical novels, lived to see the achievement of Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.Terence Ranger has had access to a range of sources, including the archive of Thompson's papers, found in a tin trunk which had been kept amongst rats and damp in a laundry. He also discovered a large body of evidence for the modern history of Methodism in the National Archives. However,much of this book depends on the information gleaned from oral interviews.Zimbabwe: Baobab

The long-view on more recent events in Zimbabwe's history.Violence has powerfully shaped the history of Matabeleland from the 1890s to the 1980s, and silence has surrounded the history of this region of Zimbabwe, excluding it from national memory. This text aims to break the silence andredress the imbalance of Zimbabwe's national history.North America: Heinemann; Zimbabwe: Weaver Press

A unique and stylish contribution to the social history of African cities and Zimbabwean cultural life.NEW LOW PRICEThis book is designed as a tribute and response to Yvonne Vera's famous novel Butterfly Burning, which is set in the Bulawayo townships in 1946 and dedicated to the author. It is an attempt to explorewhat historical research and reconstruction can add to the literary imagination.Responding as it does to a novel, this history imitates some fictional modes. Two of its chapters are in effect 'scenes', dealing with brief periods of intense activity. Others are in effect biographies of 'characters'. The book draws upon and quotes from a rich body of urban oral memory. In addition to this historical/literary interaction the book is a contribution to the historiography of southern African cities, bringing out the experiential and cultural dimensions, and combining black and white urban social history.TERENCE RANGER was Emeritus Rhodes Professor of Race Relations, University of Oxford and author of many books including Writing Revolt, Are we not also Men? (1995), Voices from the Rocks (1999) and was co-editor of Violence and Memory (2000).Zimbabwe: Weaver Press