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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
arts and humanities
Climate variability and societal dynamics in pre-colonial Southern African history (AD 900-1840): A synthesis and critique
Environment and History, Volume 20, No. 3, Year 2014
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Description
The role of climate variability in pre-colonial southern African history is highly disputed. We here provide a synthesis and critique of climate-society discourses relating to two regionally-defining periods of state formation and disaggregation. The first period involves the eleventh-thirteenth century development of socio-political complexity and the rise of southern Africa's first state, Mapungubwe, followed by its collapse and the shift in regional power to Great Zimbabwe. The later period encompasses the early-nineteenth century difaqane/mfecane mass migrations, violence and ensuing state-building activity. To further our assessment, we consider the wider contentious issues of climate causation and determinism in a regional context, but dispute suggestions of paradigm shift towards simplistic environmental collapse. Nevertheless, we specifically point to ambiguities in palaeoclimate records, a narrative tendency toward monocausal explanations and a lack of integration among the literature as reasons for a sustained divergence in interpretation regarding the significance of climate. We move on to discuss the potential of integrative approaches to illuminate understanding of the complex interactions between past climate variability and human activity. In order to do so, we highlight interlinked concepts such as vulnerability and resilience as key for bridging the gap between the natural and social sciences. To conclude, we point to future climate-society priorities and ways forward in the form of research areas, data prospects and questions. © 2014 The White Horse Press.
Authors & Co-Authors
Hannaford, Matthew J.
United Kingdom, Sheffield
The University of Sheffield
South Africa, Bloemfontein
University of the Free State
Bigg, Grant Robert
United Kingdom, Sheffield
The University of Sheffield
Jones, Julie M.
United Kingdom, Sheffield
The University of Sheffield
Phimister, Ian R.
South Africa, Bloemfontein
University of the Free State
Staub, Martial
United Kingdom, Sheffield
The University of Sheffield
Statistics
Citations: 23
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.3197/096734014X14031694156484
ISSN:
09673407
e-ISSN:
17527023
Study Design
Narrative Study
Study Approach
Qualitative
Study Locations
Zimbabwe