Dr. Timothy Stapleton, professor of history at Trent University, formally launched his newest book, African Police and Soldiers in Colonial Zimbabwe, at the Accents on Eglinton bookstore in Toronto in November 2011. The launch, including a presentation from Professor Stapleton on the topic discussed in his book, was attended by Trent students, members of the Toronto community and other scholars with an interest in African and African Diaspora history.

“I was very pleased with the book launch,” Prof. Stapleton said, “it provided an opportunity to introduce a fairly specialized book to a wider audience in an informative and enjoyable way.”

Prof. Stapleton’s fifth book, African Police and Soldiers in Colonial Zimbabwe examines the ambiguous life experience of black security force members in white ruled colonial Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). “It touches on the entire period of British rule from 1890-1980,” he explains, “but focuses mostly on the years between 1923 – when colonial settlers were granted responsible government – and 1980 – the year of independence.”

During this interesting period in Zimbabwe, white settlers gained internal political rule of the colony. Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony dominated by a white settler minority that imposed a discriminatory racial hierarchy. In order to police and protect the colony, African police and soldiers were employed. “The book looks at reasons why colonized Indigenous people participated in the domination and control of their own community,” Prof. Stapleton explains.

African Police and Soldiers in Colonial Zimbabwe cracks through some preconceived ideas and perceptions about those people who chose to become police and soldiers, including their educational experience and background, their daily life and routine, and their assumed support of the ruling class.

“This book, in some ways, is a continuation of another book I wrote about the participation of black Zimbabwean soldiers in the East African campaign of the First World War,” Prof. Stapleton says, “However, the new book is more of a social history of African security members and not so much about police procedure or battles.”

Supported by a standard grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, this book took five years to write and the research process involved four trips to Zimbabwe and two to the United Kingdom. Perhaps one of the most surprising discoveries during the research was the educational background and experience of many members of the African police.

“The common perception,” Prof. Stapleton says, “was that this group were uneducated bullies enforcing the rules. Perhaps they were awestruck by European power or they were opportunistic collaborators. They were not regarded as educated.

“Initially, black police were essentially the servants of white police,” he explains, “but over time – especially as the population became more urbanized – there were not enough white police to conduct all the duties of the police force. European authorities began to rely on the African police to perform investigative functions. Of course, they needed to be literate to do so, and so the entire police force became more and more literate.”

By the 1930s, Prof. Stapleton’s book explains, there was a push to hire literate Africans who were products of western-style schools, and gradually the police force became more and more educated. By the 1950s they were very much part of the emerging African middle class, although they have not always been historically perceived to have been so. Perhaps even more enlightening is Prof. Stapleton’s discovery that these police officers pressed for reforms to reduce racial discrimination, for better working conditions and for proper training and recognition. “It is easy to regard these police officers as traitors or sell outs or supporters of the ‘elite’ race, but in reality they were not that different from other African civilians, including the fore-runners of the independence movement.”

Prof. Stapleton’s research turned up letters, newspapers and magazines written by African police and military men voicing their desire for reform. Using these valuable pieces of documented history and interviews with former military and police veterans, Prof. Stapleton has compiled a complete look at the social implications of serving as an African colonial serviceman.

Prof. Stapleton has been researching African history for 20 years. He came to Trent in 1998 and is currently the director of the History Masters program. He is the author of five books.

Posted on Monday, December 5, 2011.