Joseph Mujere
Lecturer in Modern Africa

Profile

Biography

Growing up in rural Zimbabwe, mostly with my grandparents, I spent most of my evenings listening to folktales, oral traditions and family histories, which influenced me to like history at a very early age. Years later, as an undergraduate student at the University of Zimbabwe, I found myself doing History, Archaeology, and Economic History- a rich combination of historical disciplines. I later decided to do an honours degree in History and an MA in African History. In 2012 I completed my PhD in History degree at the University of Edinburgh which explored the migration histories of Basotho in Zimbabwe and their struggles for belonging since the 1890s-a history I grew up knowing from oral history. This study culminated in the publication of my first monograph titled: Land, Migration and Belonging: A History of Basotho in Southern Rhodesia c.1890-1960s. (Suffolk: James Currey, 2019). I have also published several articles in refereed journals, including South African Historical Journal, Journal of Southern African Studies, Critical African Studies, Review of African Political Economy, Labour, Capital and Society, African Economic History and Journal of Peasant Studies, among others. Prior to joining the University of York in September 2022, I taught at the University of Zimbabwe from 2012 to 2021 after which I joined the National University of Lesotho where I taught for close to a year.

Teaching

Undergraduate

An example of modules taught:

• HIS00088C Evidence and Methods
• HIS00146I Heterosexual Africa? Sexuality, Power, and Politics in Africa since 1900

Postgraduate

An example of modules taught:

• HIS00169M Oral History Methods

Research

Overview

My research has largely focused on land, migration and the politics of belonging in Southern Africa. Recently, I developed a growing interest in mining and environmental history. My current research project is titled ‘Claim-holders, tributors and cooperatives: the political economy of artisanal and small-scale chromite mining in Zimbabwe.’ This is a three-year project funded by the VW Foundation. I have also done research on platinum mining and informality in Rustenburg, South Africa, and on violence in artisanal gold mining. In addition, I have a great interest in documentary filmmaking. My first documentary film titled ‘Waiting in a Platinum City’ uses waiting as a lens through which to explore the everyday struggles of residents of informal settlements on the margins of platinum mines in Rustenburg Town in South Africa.