
Namhila: Little Research Value
African Estate Records and Colonial Gaps in a Post-Colonial National Archive
- 278 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
Namhila: Little Research Value
African Estate Records and Colonial Gaps in a Post-Colonial National Archive
About this book
Ellen Ndeshi Namhila is intrigued by the question: Why can the National Archives of Namibia respond to genealogical enquiries of Whites in a matter of minutes with finding estate records of deceased persons, while similar requests from Blacks cannot be served? Not satisfied with the sweeping statement that this is the result of colonialism and apartheid, she follows the track of so-called Native estates through legislation, record creation and disposal, records management and administrative neglect, authorised and unauthorised destruction, transfer and appraisal, selective processing, and (almost) final amnesia. Eventually she discovers over 11, 000 forgotten surviving African estate records but also evidence for the destruction of many others. And she demonstrates the potential of these records to interpret the lives of those who otherwise appear in history only as statistics records which were condemned to destruction by colonial archivists stating they had little research value and no functional value. This study of memory against forgetting is a call to post-colonial archives to re-visit their holdings and the systemic colonial bias that continues to haunt them. This is the revised version of Ellen Namhilas 2015 doctoral thesis published at the University of Tampere, Finland.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Silencing the African Past in a Colonial State Archive
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Literature Review
- 3 Methodology
- 4 Legal Framework for Administration of Deceased Native Estates
- 5 Administrative Structures and Processes
- 6 The Management of Native Estate Records in the NAN
- 7 Discussion and Conclusions
- Sources
- Appendix A. Glossary
- Appendix B. Acronyms
- Appendix C. Tables
- Appendix D. Illustrations
- Index
- Back Cover