| Abstract | This paper addresses the politics and practices of history and memory through an examination of the historiography of Malawi with reference to the literature on slavery. In the late 1970s, an oral historical research project in Malawi set out to ‘uncover’ the pre-colonial history of part of the Southern Region. Informed by new methods for oral historical research and by the post-colonial context, the testimonies collected were framed by a number of preconceptions and assumptions, particularly those related to the nature of ethnic identity. The paper analyses this framing and the nature of the texts produced. It goes on to examine briefly other forms of historical memory, and the question of ‘forgetting’.
|
