Understanding Cultural Landscape at Great Zimbabwe - by Ashton Sinamai (Hardcover)

About the Book

Using Karanga/Kalanga concepts of cosmology and philosophy as well as local narratives, this book provides new perspectives on the cultural landscape of Great Zimbabwe and contributes to the reformation of the practice, interpretation, and construction of archaeological narratives in Africa.

Book Synopsis

Understanding Cultural Landscape at Great Zimbabwe: Realms of Power by Ashton Sinamai engages with archaeology through Karanga/Kalanga concepts of cosmology and philosophy to understand the landscape at Great Zimbabwe, the medieval city and cultural heritage site. Sinamai un-disciplines and decolonializes archaeology and highlights aspects of the landscape that have been impacted by colonial legislations, nationalization, and internationalization. This book provides new perspectives on the landscape, and it addresses debates among African and Western archaeologists in reforming the practice, interpretation, and construction of archaeological narratives in Africa. Sinamai debunks Western myths by exploring African heritage through diverse knowledge systems to illuminate our understanding of place. Each chapter unfurls a variety of facets within Great Zimbabwe, discovering what a place can mean, how it shapes culture, and what emotions and memories can be evoked through local narratives. This book goes beyond human memory and shows how the landscape also remembers. African knowledge systems are essential to the development and understanding of African archaeology and African heritage management systems.

Review Quotes

A refreshing exploration of the Great Zimbabwe cultural landscape written by Ashton Sinamai, who not only grew up in the area but also wears critical lenses to reflect on disciplinary practice. A beautiful story.--Shadreck Chirikure, University of Oxford

Ashton Sinamai reinterprets Great Zimbabwe through local knowledge, listening to voices that conventional academic studies have often silenced. This book makes a vital contribution to the decolonization of archaeology and heritage studies. Through an exploration of local communities and their relations with the living, remembering landscape, Sinamai confronts colonial #39;pith helmet archaeology#39; with African understandings of Africarsquo;s own heritage.--Annalisa Bolin, Aarhus University

About the Author

Ashton Sinamai is honorary associate at La Trobe University.