Whiteness in Zimbabwe : Race, Landscape, and the Problem of Belonging

European settler societies have a long history of establishing a sense of belonging and entitlement outside Europe, but Zimbabwe has proven to be the exception to the rule. Arriving in the 1890s, white settlers never comprised more than a tiny minority. Instead of grafting themselves onto local societies, they adopted a strategy of escape.

victims Of Political Persecution Since 2000, Zimbabwe’s Whites Have Never Overcome The Problem Of Belonging. In North America And Australia, Europeans Became The Majority And “normal” Partially Through The Genocide Of Native Peoples. Settlers To Zimbabwe, However, Only Comprised A Tiny Minority. They Monopolized The Territory But Struggled To Assimilate Culturally. Rather Than Integrating With African Societies, Many Adopted A Strategy Of Social Escape. In This Arresting And Powerful Study, David Mcdermott Hughes Shows How They Became Emotionally And Artistically Invested In The Non-human Environment Surrounding Them. He Traces How Writers, Artists, And Farmers Crafted A White Identity Focused On Ecological Conservation And How, Emerging From State Terror, Some Are Now Groping Toward A Whiteness Of Uncommon Humanity And Humility.

Front Matter....Pages i-xx The Art of Belonging....Pages 1-26 Front Matter....Pages 27-27 Engineering and its Redemption....Pages 29-50 Owning Lake Kariba....Pages 51-69 Front Matter....Pages 71-71 Hydrology of Hope....Pages 73-99 Playing the Game....Pages 101-128 Belonging Awkwardly....Pages 129-143 Back Matter....Pages 145-204