Past Imperfect: The contested early history of the Mapungubwe Archive, South Africa

Description

This book interrogates the context, primary literature and silent gaps in the Mapungubwe Archive held at the University of Pretoria. It examines the multiple narratives and ignored indigenous histories of Mapungubwe in South Africa, prior to the scientific gold discovery of 1933. Using postmodern notions of archival theory and science as a central argument, the author demonstrates how the Mapungubwe Archive needs to be questioned, not only as a historical source, but as point of contemporary discourse within global trends of the archival turn and lack of knowledge, specifically on African archives. The book elucidates the origins, research control, powers and authoritative trajectory of Mapungubwe’s colonial and nationalist past, through the institutional lens of the Archaeology Committee. Contestation is focused on Mapungubwe’s controlled history as a ‘treasure trove’ in 1933 under the State and how later, research mirrors present legal heritage debates on reversionary rights of ownership versus responsible rights of stewardship. Using the conceptual notion of history as an imperfect past, the author contends that Mapungubwe’s contested past is inherently unfinished and flawed, because the past constantly challenges ideas of the present. Front Cover Title Copyright African Archaeology Titles in the African Archaeology Subseries Dedication Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures List of Abbreviations Foreword 1. A Contested Past and Archive 1.1. Introduction 2. Revisiting Mapungubwe Literature 2.1. Previous research 2.2. Early literature: 1930s to 1940s 2.3. Post war studies: 1950s to 1960s 2.4. Discipline years of Archaeology: 1970s to 1980s 2.5. Interjection of Greefswald’s dark history: 1970–1974 2.6. Archaeological Iron Age studies continued 2.7. Post democracy years: 1994 to the 21st century 3. The Transvaal Treasure Trove: A Contested Discovery 3.1. ‘Finders Keepers’ 3.2. Treasure trove: a brief history 3.3. Ignored Indigenous histories 3.4. Legendary Lotrie: Francois Bernard Lotrie (1825–1917) 3.5. Back to the Battle of Dongola: 1922 3.6. ‘Forgetting Frobenius’: 1928–1929 3.7. The famous five discoverers: 1932 and J.C.O. van Graan (1908–1987) 3.8. The Transvaal Treasure: 1933 4. The University of Pretoria Archaeological Committee 4.1. Institutional control 4.2. Formidable Fouché: a frontier of ‘his’ history 4.3. Renaissance man and reformer: J. de Villiers Roos (1869–1940) 4.4. Contesting personalities: Fouché vs Roos 4.5. Scientific endeavours: the Archaeological Committee’s maiden years 4.6. Collection endeavours: curatorship and co-operation with the Transvaal Museum 5. Historical Ownership vs Heritage Stewardship 5.1. Legal chartering 5.2. Controlling history: framing the legal approach 5.3. “A reversionary right”: the ownership approach 5.4. A responsible right: the stewardship approach 6. Epilogue 6.1. An imperfect Mapungubwe Archive past Bibliography Back Cover