“Rhodesia’s Enduring Legacy, 60 Years Later,” Carl Watts
Why are scholars still discussing Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) 60 years later, and 45 years after the foundation of the Zimbabwean state? In this presentation Dr. Carl Peter Watts discusses a recent co-edited volume on UDI published by Bloomsbury, outlining the history of UDI and highlighting five key legacies. First, the lasting impact for Zimbabwean politics and society. Second, its significance in the context of British decolonization. Third, its contribution to the development of international organizations: the African Union, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations. The fourth legacy of UDI was the creation of a white Rhodesian diaspora that has developed its own identity and relationship with the past, sustained largely via the internet, and which has struggled to come to terms with the end of settler colonialism in Zimbabwe. Finally - and most worryingly - UDI has acquired a symbolic importance among white supremacists, which continues to inspire white Christian nationalism in the United States.
This event is co-sponsored with VIEW: Violence, Ideology, and Extremism Working Group.