Can Women's Voices be recovered from the Past? Grappling with the Absence of Women Voices in Pre-Colonial History of Zimbabwe

Authors

Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni

Abstract

The question of whether women’s voices can be recovered from the past may sound very old-fashioned to some people, but in the Zimbabwean academic situation, it is still pertinent even after all the advances made in researching women history elsewhere. This is because there is no attempt by historians to grapple with the absence of women voices in mainstream narratives of pre-colonial history of Zimbabwe. Invisibility of women has been maintained even in the latest historical works on pre-colonial history of Zimbabwe. This means that the existing histories neglected the activities of half of the population of the pre-colonial Zimbabwean societies. This article explores the conceptual, historiographical and methodological issues related to invisibility of women in history as well as strategies of recovering women voices from the past .If this article sounds too theoretical, this is due to pertinent conceptual issues involved in an attempt to recover women voices in pre- colonial Zimbabwe. The starting point is indeed to grapple with theoretical frameworks necessary for the recovery of women issues.

Recommended Citation

Ndlovu-Gatsheni, Sabelo J. (2005) "Can Women's Voices be recovered from the Past? Grappling with the Absence of Women Voices in Pre-Colonial History of Zimbabwe," Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.cortland.edu/wagadu/vol2/iss1/3