Conference Explores Wars

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The History Education Programme in the School of Education recently hosted the Historical Association of South Africa (HASA) Conference in Durban.

The Conference focused on the wars of history, but also extended to the wars about history as well as other southern African historical issues.

Professor Johan Wasserman of the School of Education said the Conference was an opportune moment for historians to reflect upon and reappraise the events of the time.

‘Conferences of this nature are an ideal opportunity for scholars to meet, engage and share their work with the broader history community. As in the past at both the HASA Conference and that of our sister organisation, the Southern African Historical Society (SAHS), a strong emphasis is placed on the development of young historians,’ said Wasserman.

Professor Raymond Kumalo of the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics (SRPC) presented his paper on: “New Street Names as Meeting Points for Politics and Religion in Durban”. He discussed how religious convictions influenced the process of renaming streets and the subsequent response.

‘The religious significance of street names is important when we consider that people identify with a street name to the extent that its meaning goes beyond being political but is a religious symbol of their liberation, through which they understand their past, and how they act in the present and envision their future. In short a street name helps in the formation of their identity with the city and their sense of belonging to it.’

Kumalo argued that one of the reasons for the strong contestation around the naming process was because it was a meeting point for people’s political and religious convictions.

Other topics included: “Pietermaritzburg and the Great War by Mr Paul Thompson”; “The Practice of Ukuthwala and its Evolution in KwaZulu-Natal” by Dr Makho Nkosi and Professor Johan Wasserman, and “Green Spooks: Ireland’s Intelligence Scapegoats” and the “Anglo-Boer War” by Professor Donal McCracken.

-          Words and photograph: Melissa Mungroo