White Chief, Black Lords: Shepstone and the Colonial State in Natal, South Africa, 1845-1878, by Thomas V. McClendon

Abstract

Theophilus Shepstone is not a household name among British empire historians. Yet in his day (and he lived from 1816 to 1893) he was one of the most important colonial administrators Britain produced. Scholarly work on Shepstone remains sparse, in spite of the fact that he was single-handedly responsible for ‘native policy’ in Natal between 1845 and 1877. South African historians have written about Shepstone, principally in recent years the eminent historian of the Zulu, Jeff Guy, who is reputed to be at work on a substantial study of Shepstone. Thomas McClendon's book is a welcome addition to the existing literature, not least for the way in which it focuses on the relationship between Shepstone and the African peoples and cultures that he governed and controlled. His book is not, however, the full-scale biography which we badly need. It is, rather, constructed around a series of episodes that illustrate the policies and style of rule that Shepstone practised as Secretary for Native Affairs in Natal.