Racialized Masculinity, Sovereignty, and the Imperial Project in Colonial Natal, 1850-1897
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LIMITS OF SETTLEMENT: RACIALIZED MASCULINITY, SOVEREIGNTY, AND THE IMPERIAL PROJECT IN COLONIAL NATAL, 1850-1897 BY TYRONE H. TALLIE, JR. DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Antoinette Burton, Chair Associate Professor Dana Rabin Associate Professor Teresa Barnes Associate Professor James Brennan Associate Professor Siobhan Somerville Associate Professor Scott Lauria Morgensen, Queen’s University ii Abstract Nineteenth century settlers viewed the British colony of Natal in southern Africa as an ‘empty’ territory ready for European bodies. These immigrants sought to create a settler state that would outnumber and supplant indigenous bodies already present. As a result, settlers attempted to defend their claims to a colony threatened by a numerically superior ‘foreign’ population by creating and maintaining forms of proper raced and gendered behavior over the bodies of all peoples in Natal. I argue racialized masculinity must be understood as instrumental to both the establishment and contestation of British sovereign imperial power in colonial Natal. Using settler newspapers, missionary periodicals, British and South African archival sources, and popular contemporary travel accounts, this dissertation looks at the development of the colony of Natal in the second half of the nineteenth century by examining debates over polygamy and ilobolo, legislation over alcohol and marijuana use, proper dress and domestic inhabitance while on mission stations, and the many circulations of the Zulu king Cetshwayo kaMpande. I argue that race and masculinity developed discursively as categories through the quotidian interactions between differing peoples in colonial Natal. Subsequently, the colonial state attempted to pass legislation that used these raced and gendered categories in order to buttress their own claims to authority. Yet these attempts were never secure; indigenous and Indian peoples constantly challenged the claims of a colonial state to mobilize race and masculinity. Thus, the study of colonial Natal in the nineteenth century offers insight into the limits of settlement—the failure at a settler state to enact full control over raced and gendered discourses within the colony. iii Acknowledgments I’ve joked many times in the course of writing this dissertation that writing the acknowledgments would be the most fun part of the entire process. At this final point in the writing process, I find that it is undoubtedly true; I am grateful for the opportunity to simply thank the kind-hearted, gracious and wonderful people that have made this insane and wonderful journey possible. As a nervous undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego, I first learned why history was important as well as the power of telling stories. I’m very grateful to Ann Craig, Nancy Caciola, Tom Cardoza, Richard Cohen, Jason Crum, Deborah Hertz, Pamela Radcliff, Sjahari Pullom, Stephanie Smallwood, Cynthia Truant, and Danny Widener for encouraging, challenging, and supporting me as a precocious student in search of a project. Gillian Sonnad dared me to take a risk and move to Pietermaritzburg as an anxious twenty year old, something for which I will be forever grateful. My community at Francis Parker likewise encouraged me to leave the safe confines of San Diego for Illinois and beyond, and I am very thankful to Erin and Kieran Aiston, Nancy Anderson, Diane Bergel, Tom Crowley, Jared D’Onofrio, Alex Gomez, Chris Harrington, Josh Herren, Karen Marshall, Mike Maunu, Trevor Moore, Cherie Redelings, Tara Reid, Xandra Scott, Phil Trotter, and Chuck Wineholt. I will never forget the constant friendship and support of Paul Esch, Ryan Griggs, and Ginny Robinson both as coworkers and later after my move to the land of Lincoln. Despite feeling very much like a fish out of water in the vast cornfields of central Illinois, I have had the great fortune to work with amazing professors and graduate students who quickly made me feel at ease. I had the pleasure of taking part in amazing seminars taught by Terri iv Barnes, Jim Brennan, Antoinette Burton, Augusto Espiritu, Diane Koenker, Alejandro Lugo, Dana Rabin, and Dave Roediger. I have also been fortunate enough to think through my entangled ideas with other wonderful faculty in the history department, namely: Tariq Ali, Ikuko Asaka, Jim Barrett, Tamara Chaplin, Jerry Dávila, Rayvon Fouché, Matt Sakiestewa Gilbert, Marc Hertzman, Fred Hoxie, Rana Hogarth, Diane Koenker, Mireya Loza, and David Prochaska. In addition, I’ve had the opportunity to take part in amazing and challenging reading groups on campus, particularly the Queer Studies, Global Indigenous Studies, and British Empire and Knowledge groups. I am grateful for the stimulating conversation and necessary theoretical innovations that I learned in each group and must thank Durell Callier, Peter Campbell, S. Moon Cassinelli, Rico Chenyek, Raquel Escobar, Eman Ghanayem, Inhye Ha, Rachel Heeter Smith, Kwame Holmes, Michael Hughes, Ryan Jones, Jean Lee, David Lehman, Martin Manalansan, Kyle Mays, Chantal Nadeau, Zach Poppel, K.R. Roberto, Ricky Rodriguez, Michelle Salerno, Siobhan Somerville, Irina Spector-Marks, Mel Stanfill, Crystal Thomas, and Katie Walkiewicz accordingly. Additionally, I’ve had the privilege of processing with extraordinarily kind and talented professors in other departments, namely, Ruth Nicole Brown, Jodi Byrd, Karen Flynn, Fiona Ngo, Mimi Thi Nguyen, and Robert Warrior. My dissertation committee is rather large, but quite supportive, and I am so thankful to work with Antoinette Burton, Dana Rabin, Teresa Barnes, Jim Brennan, Siobhan Somerville, and Scott Morgensen. Their kind and challenging words have kept this work going over countless drafts, and as I prepare to revise this dissertation into a manuscript, I am certain I’ll continue to rely on their insight. I’m not certain I can properly express how very grateful I am to Antoinette Burton, my advisor and friend. This has been a wonderful six year journey of laughing, crying, debating, and encouraging. ‘Burtonfriend,’ as I am known to call her, has been an inspiration, support, and v comrade in the doctorate struggle. She helped me to discover that I do indeed possess a ‘rage- based historical practice,’ and has helped me refine my angry typing into a more impassioned and persuasive series of arguments. Perhaps the best part of this entire arduous doctoral process is that at the end of it all, I can gratefully call her mentor, friend, and colleague. Thank you for the constant emails, the snark sessions, and the endless chai. The history department at the University of Illinois has become a sort of second home for me, and I have been supported by so many wonderful fellow students. In particular, I must thank Michael Abele, Rosemary Admiral, Derek Attig, Michelle Beer, Courtney Cain, Tyler Carrington, Utathya Chattophadhyaya, Nathan Chio, Annaliese Claydon, Genevieve Clutario, Sharyl Corrado, Heidi Dodson, Janine Giordano Drake, Beth Eby, Kristen Ehrenberger, Andy Eisen, Raquel Escobar, Matthew Gambino, David Greenstein, Scott Harrison, Ian Hartman, Rachel Heeter Smith, Kwame Holmes, Ashley Howard, Tariq Khan, Danielle Kinsey, Jason Kozlowski, Rachel Koroloff, Sonia Mariscal-Dominguez, John Marquez, Liz Matsushita, Andrew McKernan, Veronica Mendez Johnson, Jesse Murray, Karen Phoenix, Kerry Pimblott, Ben Poole, Emily Pope-Obeda, Zachary Poppel, Liz Quick, Patryk Reid, Karen Rodriguez’G, Deirdre Ruscitti, Mark Sanchez, Jennifer Schwartzberg, Stephanie Seawell, Emily Skidmore, Troy Smith, Irina Spector-Marks, Tessa Winkelmann, Megan White, and Peter Wright. Archana Prakash and Zach Sell have been my closest compatriots, academic comrades, and travel companions, and have heard far more about colonial masculinity than any human being should. Mike Hughes has been a daily workout partner, friend, and invaluable sounding board for these six years, and I’m a better scholar for it. vi I cannot begin to thank properly the many kind and thoughtful people who have made my three trips to South Africa wonderful, rewarding, and productive. Louise Buchler, Erin Fourie, Cailin Hedderwick, Charl Landsberg, Sita Suzanne, Dexter Sagar, and Kiara Worth provided friendship, camaraderie, and places to sleep during my multiple visits to Mzansi. Steven Dri challenged me to think more deeply about my position as a guest in KZN, and Shéla McCullough made Durban an infinitely less frightening place. My eight weeks in KwaZulu- Natal in 2009 to do intensive isiZulu work were made possible by Fulbright-Hays and the constant support of Tholani Hlengwa and Audrey Mbeje. I am grateful to the generous Mkhize and Nene families who opened their homes to me, and for fellow learners and teachers: Richard Deja, Erica Dwyer, Sarah Freiberg, Casey Golomski, Anna Henry, Rob Hurtekant, Thabile Mbatha, Nathaniel Moore, Joe Napolitano, Nelson Ntshangase, and April Sizemore-Barber. The academic community established at the University KwaZulu-Natal Howard College has provided needed personal and intellectual support over the years. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Keith Breckenridge, Catherine Burns, Khayo Dlamini, Marijke Du Toit, Liezl Gevers, Karthigasen Gopalan, Jeff Guy, Eva Jackson, Vukile Khumalo, Baduduzile Luthuli, Ashley Morris, Simphiwe Ngwane, Kyla O’Neill, Julie Parle, Nafisa Essop Sheik, Stephen Sparks, Jo-Anne