rorkesdriftvc.com :: View topic - Degree Dissertation on Isandlwana Part 2

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:47 pm

Hello all!

I posted this thread a couple of months back outlining my plans to do my history degree dissertation on Isandlwana (still getting into the habit of dropping the 'h') and things have progressed a great deal in my research since then.

After consultations with my tutor, Prof. Stephen Howe, my dissertation has developed from an analysis of the battle itself through primary sources, (a route very well travelled), to a critical comparative study of AZW historiography - i.e.. secondary source texts about Isandlwana itself. Not only does this approach have far greater academic value and potential, but is one I have become absolutely fascinated with.

As many members here already know, the varying secondary accounts of, and explanations for the defeat at Isandlwana are not only diverse, but highly contentious - something I quickly discovered after first posting here during my time at college. (The dreaded Mk.V ammunition box debate.) It is precisely this diversity that will become the focus of my dissertation - a study of Isandlwana historiography chronologically from the Victorian, to the "modern" under Donald R. Morris, through to the revisionism of recent historians.

So far, my study (in order) has focused around this core material:

The Washing of the Spears ~ Donald R. Morris

The Day of the Dead Moon ~ David Rattray

The National Army Museum Book of the Zulu War ~ Ian Knight

Zulu: Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift ~ Ian Knight

Zulu Victory: The Epic of Isandlwana and the Cover-Up ~ Ron Lock and Peter Quantrill

How Can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed ~ Lt. Col. Mike Snook

(After the very helpful advice offered to me on my previous thread, many of the primary texts recommended to me, and which I have subsequently purchased, will constitute the Victorian aspect of the historiography surrounding Isandhlwana.)

Without wanting to go into the divergent theories contained in the aforementioned texts, I would very much like to hear suggestions from the members here of any other secondary texts on Isandlwana which would further contribute to my historiographical study. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Lastly, and by no means least, I humbly ask the authors of the works listed above to help answer a few questions and I've developed as a result of reading their texts. My task is to gain a comprehensive understanding of your arguments and theories, not, of course, to criticise or disapprove. Please contact me if you're able to talk. (To my knowledge, both Ron Lock and Ian Knight visit here, so I'd very much like to hear from them.) Smile

When I first decided to write my dissertation on Isandlwana, I was a bit uncertain of my direction, but after many hours of deeply absorbing study, I find myself imbued with a great feeling of confidence and purpose in my work. I hope you can help.

Many thanks in advance. Smile

George

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:29 pm

George,
Neither Ron or I are planning a visit to the UK in the near future.
Suggest you contact me directly on < [email protected] >
Regards,
Peter

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:01 pm

Thanks Peter, although I was only expecting to converse via email, apologies if I gave the wrong impression. Many thanks, I'll drop a line soon. Smile

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:55 pm

George

The most comprehensive list of source material on Isandlwana is Julian Whybra's England's Sons. It is available, I believe, from the RRW Museum at modest cost. Perhaps Martin Everett can give you details.

From your list of secondary narratives, you have omitted probably the most helpful synthesis, David Jackson's Hill of the Sphinx, also available from the RRWM.

KIS

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:44 am

George

I don't know if these are the type of books you are seeking, but I'd suggest the following -

The Road To Isandhlwana : Col. A.W. Durnford in Natal and Zululand 1873-79. by R.W.F. Droogleever.

The Road to Isandlwana : The Years of an Imperial Battalion. by Philip Gon.

Isandlwana 1879. by Ian F.W. Beckett.

Coll

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:58 am

Keith:

Thanks very much for the recommendations - Mike Snook credited Julian Whybra extensively in How Can Men Die Better, I'll make that my next purchase. (I'll see if Martin is on the Member list and drop him a PM as well.) Same again for The Hill of the Sphinx.

Coll:

I'll definitely give Ian F.W. Beckett's book a look in, it's precisely that sort of battle-specific study I'm after. I'll also have a look at The Road to Isandlwana, too.

Many thanks! Smile

George

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:25 pm

George,

Personally, I find the Beckett book dated, he doesn't appear to be up to speed on the recent findings or conclusions, and sticks to the more traditional opinions. That said I'll let you draw your own conclusions, it is not helped by the choice of illustrations, many of which have no bearing on the subject matter.

John Y.

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:19 pm

George

I hope you know what you're getting yourself into!! Shocked

For my part I can offer you a face to face interview. Academically orientated e-mail conversations can become open-ended and consume vast amounts of time if one isn't careful, and time I fear is one thing I don't have a lot of. The Defence Academy at Shrivenham is not too far from you. If you would like to take up the offer of an interview contact me through the private messages board with say half a dozen options for dates. Two conditions please - first, think carefully about what you want to achieve in advance, and let me know beforehand so that we can crack through your agenda with a reasonable degree of momentum. Second, it's your dissertation and beyond having a sensibly structured chat with you, don't expect anything which involves additional time or effort on my part. Sorry to be a bit stiff on this but you will understand that time is everything I'm sure. I'll help as much as I can, but it can't be at the expense of 2,422 other things I have to do before the year's out. 2,423...2,424...2,425 Very Happy

Regards

Mike

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:59 pm

George

If you want to cover the treatment of the battle chronologically from Victorian times to the modern, presumably rergardless of how out-of-date they'd be considered now (the actual comparisons being part of your studies) then there would still appear to be a bit of a gap between 1879 and the 1960s, during which time a number of major works appeared, albeit a little dated today but whose importance lies in the way in which accounts of the battle were presented 60, 70 or over a 100 years ago.

I don't see the following major (albeit often unsatisfactory) works mentioned in those titles suggested in the previous thread, nor on this. In reverse order, starting with the pre-Jackson era:

Reginald Coupland - Zulu Battle Piece (1948)

Gerald French - Lord Chelmsford & the Zulu War (1939)

W. Clements - The Glamour & Tragedy of the Zulu War (1936)

and a whole host of works, including memoirs, from the 1880s, 1890s and after. Plus Moody etc. Even Norris Newman? Few of these were actual eye-witnesses, let alone historians, so it is difficult to dismiss one without criticising another, but you'll pick up an idea of how the battle was seen at various stages since 1879. Coupland is usually credited with being the first professional historian to give the battle some attention; French's work is usually considered to be a very personal response to Clements in defending Chelmsford. All are undoubtedly superseded. I don't see Ian Knight's The Sun Turned Black mentioned, his main published effort on Isandlwana, which I believe also appeared under another title.

You date the modern period "from" Morris, which it may have seemed at the time, but most observers would, in retrospect, surely see Jackson's work as the real mid-1960s watershed, while Morris's offering - receiving, at the time and for some while since, more exposure than Jackson's - is increasingly dismissed nowadays as being as dated and as faulty (or more faulty) than any Victorian work, surviving merely on the strength of somehow still being in print.

Good luck

Peter

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:26 am

John:

Ironically, it'd be highly beneficial to my study if Beckett sticks to what you chaps consider a more traditional/outdated perspective on the battle - the dissertation is focused on comparing interpretations, not just offering a critique. In this case, diversity is strength. Smile

However, I will give it a rethink and have a look at the plethora of other material recommended by the subsequent posters here.

Mike:

The offer of an interview is very much appreciated, and one which I wholeheartedly accept! (I'll contact you shortly via PM to discuss dates.)

In terms of my questions, I basically just need to clarify certain aspects of your take on Isandlwana in How Can Man Die Better to get a concrete idea of your arguments. (The dissertation is based on the work of historians such as yourself, and wouldn't like to accidentally misrepresent you in what I eventually write.) The dissertation will be divided into what I feel are significant and contentious aspects of Isandlwana historiography, ranging from Chelmsford's invasion strategy, to the campsite, troop deployment, the protagonists involved, and how different historians have judged them in terms of their impact on the battle's outcome. I'm already in the process of deciding on these salient "chapters", and there are at least three major topics I really want to discuss with you, and (appropriately) are the most strong-argued parts of your book. Of course, I'll let you know via PM. Smile

Lastly, I fully appreciate that this would be a standalone meeting, and I would be remiss in thinking otherwise. Please don't apologise for making yourself clear on this part, your offer of an interview alone is more than I could have asked for. Very Happy

I'll be in touch via PM shortly!

Peter:

Very good point, that is a large gap chronologically... Thanks very much for your recommendations, I'll select at least one of those works to read, as ideally, I'd like a pre-Morris secondary work to analyse. And forgive my ignorance, but you refer to "Jackson", I've never heard of the author, could you please elaborate? I was unable to find his work on Amazon, could you recommend a place to purchase it? From what you say, Jackson�s work is of greater historiographical significance than The Washing of the Spears and would like to make it part of my study.

I also have Norris-Newman's Book, as well as a great many of the primary sources that were recommended to me, which I was considering making my "Victorian" historiography, as a few were written retrospectively after the campaign.

(Thanks also for citing Knight's Book, I don't yet have an Isandlwana-specific book of his.) Smile

I'll plan another meeting with my tutor and submit my findings - if a Chronological study of Zulu War historiography proves impractical, a case study of four or five secondary works may prove more viable. Regardless, the dissertation will still focus on how Isandlwana historiography differs in its treatment of what I feel are the most significant aspects of the battle itself.

Thanks to everyone for your time and help, it's very much appreciated! Smile

George

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:41 am

George

FWD Jackson's work most certainly should be part of your study - and, if your approach is to compare the relative merits or claims of a sequence of secondary publications, then it is likely that of all the works you include, from "ancient" all the way to the present decade, Jackson's work will emerge as the seminal one of the lot.

This is because it can be seen to have strongly influenced a number of emerging AZW historians during the period following its original publication - even though the popular history TWOTS, produced roughly contemporaneously by Morris, reached more readers as a result of the many reprints. Jackson's work can also claim to have been the watershed simply because of its approach and content - particularly compared with its contemporary. Morris produced a chapter on Isandlwana which is a real "page turner" (no-one questions his writing abilities) but which few respected AZW historians today have any time for. The "debates" so often referred to - and which are today perhaps entirely sterile - arise as a result of his book being still in print and therefore still reaching a popular readership. (I write generally as I see it - others may view it differently and will say so, but I suspect I am in a non-controversially large majority).

I'm not with my books today as my study is being re-docorated (I don't recommend the attendant chaos!) but I believe FWD Jackson's essays/articles entitled Isandlwana - The Sources Re-examined appeared in two or three volumes of the Journal of the Society of Army Historical Research (JSAHR) in 1965/66. It was a completely new and fresh look at the battle, as the title suggests. Whereas Morris needed to write something which appealed to a popular readership (he never called TWOTS an academic work and refused to include footnotes, to the disgust, perhaps, of every AZW historian since) Jackson's work sticks crucially to all (then) known sources and is completely without frills, not a word being wasted. It presents an entirely different picture of the battle to that of Morris.

Up until the mid-'60s, the most recent serious work on the battle itself was Coupland's book, only a little over a dozen years earlier - perhaps the standard work of the time. It is on Jackson's work, however, that most subsequent analyses of the battle have been based, before modern historians have added to or worked on their own hypotheses.

About 5 or 6 years ago it was updated and republished as a book - Hill of the Sphinx: The Battle of Isandlwana and you'll find it easily available from, for example, the RRW Museum site linked to this. The Museum had already earlier also republished his articles in a small paperback. Start with Jackson and see how the rest compare and how they have directly or indirectly followed him.

Peter

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 1:34 pm

George,
You might like to try a book by R. Furneaux called 'The Zulu War' written in 1961 (I think). It talks about the 'forgotten' war - and was published just before the movie came out! Sic Transit Gloria Mundi!
Damian

Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 5:16 pm

Damian

The first book I ever read (in 1964) on the AZW - a few days after seeing ZULU for the first time!

I think Ian Knight got it right when he was fairly dismissive of its qualities in his round-up of AZW literature to date in his Brave Men's Blood. However, you are certainly right in that it paved the way for a lot more which followed. I'm not with my library at present but I think it appeared in 1963, so was almost certainly the first book to dwell on Isandlwana in detail since Coupland. I enjoyed a number of Furneaux's little books in those days, including one on Krakatoa if I recall correctly.

He relied heavily on Smith's detailed eye-witness account as well as Chard's report & map and, as far as I recall, Smith-Dorrien's memoirs. However, I don't think he fell into the trap of misunderstanding S-D's "requisition" remark in the way in which Morris did a year or so later. I spent my teenage years in the local public library looking at that map of the Zulu attack on Isandlwana in Furneaux's work and although I haven't opened my copy for years and years, I can still see the thick, black, double-headed, pointed arrows of the "horns of the buffalo!"

George

I see above that Keith had already pointed out Jackson's work before me - perhaps you missed it? I also note that you had mentioned IK's Zulu - Isandlwana & R/Drift, which is the title I was trying to think of as the alternative for my copy of The Sun Turned Black.

Peter

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:00 pm

Many apologies for the late reply, gentlemen.

Peter:

After ordering Jackson's book on the weekend, I've received it in good order and intend to storm through it over Thursday and Friday. (In true student fashion, a Starbucks has become my established reading den - I even got into a conversation with a chap about the AZW after he saw Fripp's "Isandhlwana" on the dust jacket of How can Man Die Better.) I've thoroughly enjoyed reading every book so far, and I'm sure this one will be no different, and no less relevant to this study. Smile

On having just flipped open a heavily-annotated page of TWOTS, I immediately noticed the lack of footnotes and references as you mentioned. This is something I completely took for granted at the time, but an observation made all the more significant considering the other texts I've read are (accordingly) festooned with them.

As for S-D's "hang it all", that's just one of the many debates I intend to look at, and is almost synecdochic of the entire ammunition debate. Does it suggest anger and frustration at not being able to access/distribute ammunition, or, as has been said by others, was an example of the "cool-headedness" of the regiment and indicated an amusement of going against commissariat regulations by successful replenishment of cartridges from boxes intended for another battalion.

Things are really starting to gain momentum; I'll arrange a meeting with Prof. Stephen Howe again and keep you abreast of things. Smile

Damian:

Thanks for the recommendation - perhaps Furneaux's text would bridge the chronological gap between Jackson and Morris, revisionist historiography? I'll see whether it's still in print. Smile

Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:31 pm

George

May I suggest you save your money and forego Furneaux? It is not a good study and there are far more suitable texts such as those mentioned by Peter Ewart.

KIS