Decolonisation, Identity and Nation in Rhodesia, 1964-1979, 1st ed. 2019 A Race Against Time Britain and the World Series

This book explores concepts of decolonisation, identity, and nation in the white settler society of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) between 1964 and 1979. It considers how white settlers used the past to make claims of authority in the present. It investigates the white Rhodesian state?s attempts to assert its independence from Britain and develop a Rhodesian national identity by changing Rhodesia?s old colonial symbols, and examines how the meaning of these national symbols changed over time. Finally, the book offers insights into the role of race in Rhodesian national identity, showing how portrayals of a ?timeless? black population were highly dependent upon circumstance and reflective of white settler anxieties. Using a comparative approach, the book shows parallels between Rhodesia and other settler societies, as well as other post-colonial nation-states and even metropoles, as themes and narratives of decolonisation travelled around the world.

David Kenrick is an independent scholar. He received his D.Phil in History from St John’s College, Oxford. He has published work in the Journal for Southern African Studies and regularly reviews books on imperial history, decolonisation and settler colonialism.