An Historiographical Overview of Environmental History in South Africa

Abstract

AbstractThis article identifies key themes in environmental history in South Africa and points to how research in environmental history has contributed to our understanding of the South African past, ranging from the pre‐colonial period to the late‐twentieth century and the anti‐apartheid struggle. The article notes how research on the environmental practices of indigenous African societies in the pre‐colonial era has furthered understandings of these societies more broadly; how the environment is seen by many historians to have been integral to the processes of conquest and resistance to colonial rule; and how societal tensions in an increasingly racialized South Africa found expression in conflict over environmental resources and interventions.