Manners Make a Nation: Racial Etiquette in Southern Rhodesia, 1910-1963

259 Pages·2015·1.299 MB·English

by  Allison K. Shutt

Manners Make a Nation
Rochester Studies in
African History and the Diaspora
Toyin Falola, Series Editor
The Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the
Humanities and University Distinguished Teaching Professor
University of Texas at Austin
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Copyright © 2015 by Allison K. Shutt
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First published 2015
University of Rochester Press
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and Boydell & Brewer Limited
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
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ISBN-13: 978-1-58046-520-5
ISSN: 1092-5228
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shutt, Allison Kim, author.
Manners make a nation : racial etiquette in Southern Rhodesia, 1910–1963 /
Allison K. Shutt.
pages cm. — (Rochester studies in African history and the diaspora, ISSN
1092-5228 ; v. 65)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-58046-520-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Zimbabwe—Race relations.
2. Respect for persons—Law and legislation—Zimbabwe. 3. Blacks—Zimbabwe—
Attitudes. 4. Whites—Zimbabwe—Attitudes. 5. Blacks—Zimbabwe—Social
conditions. 6. Whites—Zimbabwe—Social conditions. 7. Zimbabwe—Politics and
government—20th century. I. Title. II. Series: Rochester studies in African history
and the diaspora ; v. 65.
DT2912.S58 2015
305.80096891'09041— dc23 2015009868
A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
This publication is printed on acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America.
In memory of my mother and Allison Nicole

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction: Manners Mattered 1
1 Insolence and Respect 21
2 Dignity and Deference 51
3 Etiquette and Integration 78
4 Courtesy and Rudeness 103
5 Violence and Hospitality 138
6 Manners Make a Nation 170
Notes 181
Bibliography 229
Index 239

Acknowledgments
One of the pleasures of fi nishing this book is being able to thank my col-
leagues, friends, and family for their support. First of all, I am grateful to
the Research Council of Zimbabwe for approving my request for clearance
for research in 2000, 2001, 2003–4, and again for a short trip in 2005.
My sincere thanks to the faculty in the Department of Economic History
at the University of Zimbabwe, who were kind enough to host me as a
visiting research associate during 2003–4 and during my shorter trips to
Harare. In particular, I want to thank Pius Nyambara and Eira Kramer for
facilitating my research in Zimbabwe. Pius and Eira did more than they
needed to in order to ensure a smooth research process for me. Hendrix
College provided me with funding for a sabbatical in Zimbabwe during the
2003–4 academic year and various project grants that allowed me to travel
to London and Oxford for research. I appreciate the support of Provost
Bob Entzminger and Associate Provost David Sutherland in making my
research trips possible.
My sincere thanks to the archivists and staff at the National Archives in
Harare who were invariably professional, helpful, and effi cient. Simply put,
working at the National Archives was a joy I will always remember. I also
need to thank Lucy McCann at the Rhodes House Library for her assis-
tance in locating material and answering my questions about sources. The
librarians and staff at Hendrix were essential to my research. I especially
want to thank Peggy Morrison, who located hard-to-fi nd documents and
managed to convince a library to lend its microfi lm of Southern Rhode-
sian newspapers to me. Kezia Krammer helped me to fi nd insolence cases,
while Busani Mpofu located defamation cases for me. Brian Edward Bals-
ley, GISP, designed the maps.
I learned a great deal from the rigorous seminars conducted by the fac-
ulty and students in the Department of Economic History at the University
of Zimbabwe. I enjoyed conversations with Alois Mlambo, Joe Mtisi, Pius
Nyambara, and Tapiwa Zimudzi. Eira Kramer was especially helpful to me
during my sabbatical year. I thank her and her family for their warm hos-
pitality during my stay in Harare. This study would not have been possible
without Eira’s personal generosity and professional support.
My intellectual debts will be obvious, but let me acknowledge my gener-
ous colleagues who at one point or another commented on conference
x Acknowledgments
papers, drafts, articles, and proposals: Joss Alexander, Tim Burke, Mhoze
Chikowero, Nancy Jacobs, Diana Jeater, Tony King, Eira Kramer, Jane Par-
part, Robert Ross, Timothy Scarnecchia, Carol Summers, Michael West,
and Luise White. I presented some of this research at various NEWSA con-
ferences. I thank the organizers of NEWSA and most especially acknowl-
edge Glen Elder for setting the collegial tone that made each conference
so productive. Thanks also to the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript
who gave me productive feedback. I thank Toyin Falola for his faith in this
project. From start to fi nish, the editors at the University of Rochester Press
have been a pleasure to work with. According to the etiquette of publish-
ing, all errors are mine alone.
Michael West deserves a special thanks. My debt to his landmark work
on the middle class will be obvious in my endnotes, but I also want to
acknowledge his incredible support over the years. Michael is a gener-
ous scholar who is quick to acknowledge the work of others even when he
deserves credit for the insight. I specifi cally need to thank him for provid-
ing me with a copy of the Lennox Njokweni correspondence. But most
of all, Michael has been a supportive colleague, who was always ready to
answer a question, send a document, and provide encouraging comments.
Mark Schantz read an early proposal for this project and gave me encour-
agement. I could not have more generous and supportive colleagues than
James Jennings, Deb Skok, Todd Berryman, Sasha Pfau, Michael Sprunger,
and Jonathan Hancock. It’s fair to say that none of this would have been
possible without the support of Robin Hartwick. Carol West and Stella
Čapek have encouraged me each step of the way. Toni Jaudon was support-
ive when I needed it most. I was so fortunate to have had Ned Alpers as my
adviser at UCLA. Even after I graduated and pursued a different project,
Ned was generous, kind, and supportive. I had a lot of fun with Jonathan
Zilberg in Harare and Marirangwe. Diane O’Rourke gave me steady guid-
ance along the way.
Some deep friendships have sustained me through the years. Britt Mur-
phy has seen it all, and yet we are still friends. I thank her and her family—
her husband, Matt, and children, Helen Claire and Paul (my godson)—for
their love and support. I have known Nancy Jacobs since we were graduate
students at UCLA. She, too, has shared her family with me, her husband,
Peter, and children, Wes and Ela. Nancy and I have enjoyed singing and
driving together, even getting lost on our way to NEWSA. Knowing Peg
Riley, Betty Riley, and Jane Roulan changed me for the better. I miss them.
Thanks to my family for their encouragement. My father’s infl uence can
be found throughout this book. A proper English gentleman (in the best
way), he believes in fairness and justice as a fundamental starting place
for human relations. A heartfelt thanks to the strongest women I know,
Pam and Deborah, and to my brother, John, who has encouraged me to