Subverting the hegemony of Western 'theological' and cultural domination: King Moshoeshoe I and 'hidden transcripts' of resistance

• Published in: Critical African studies Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 325 - 341
• Main Authors: Leshota, Paul, Mushonga, Munyaradzi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.09.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: 19th century; Civility; civilité sournoise; Cultural imperialism; Culture; Dominance; Entre-deux; Hegemony; Imitation; in-betweenness; Indigenous peoples; Intrusion; King Moshoeshoe I; l'inhomeuité; le roi Moshoeshoe I; mimicry; mimétisme; postcolonialism; postcolonialisme; Resistance; sly civility; Subversion; unhomeliness
• ISSN: 2168-1392; 2040-7211
• DOI: 10.1080/21681392.2023.2208688

In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Southern Africa, European colonial and cultural imperialism was met with a variety of responses by the indigenous people. Some overtly and violently resisted, others 'collaborated' or sought 'accommodation' within the system, while others resorted to hidden forms of resistance. While we know a lot about the overt forms of resistance, we still know little about those who resorted to mimicry and sly civility and those who occupied a 'third space' - liminality - as a form of subverting and resisting the colonial onslaught. These strategies are at one in their subversion, mockery, and destabilising effect on the culture and authority of the coloniser. King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho nation, used these strategies to write himself and his people into existence in the face of colonial intrusion. This paper, therefore, seeks to demonstrate how mimicry, sly civility and occupying an 'in-between' or unhomely position were employed by Moshoeshoe I as strategies to not only make nonsense of alien beliefs and practices, but also preserve their ways of living, worshiping, and knowing, as well as allowing survival from the onslaught of Western theological and cultural domination. Yet, where we can, we also highlight the precarity of some of King Moshoeshoe I's strategies and decisions.