Prof. Evander Ruthieri Saturno da Silva

Evander Ruthieri da Silva is a professor of African History at the Federal University of Latin-American Integration, in Brazil, with degrees from the Federal University of Paraná (MA and PhD in History). He is currently researching literature, colonialism and post-colonialism in Southern Africa. He was a visiting scholar at the University of Birmingham (2023), the Jagiellonian University (2023-2024) and at the Ghent University (2024).

The postdoctoral research project, led by Prof. Evander Ruthieri Saturno da Silva, is titled Political Networks, Identity Transformations, and Transborder Migrations in Southern Africa: The Formation of the Zulu Kingdom, Between History and Memory (19th-20th Centuries). This study seeks to advance historical research on the James Stuart Archive, focusing on the interplay between memory, orality, and identity within the narratives surrounding the Zulu Kingdom’s formation. The research addresses three central questions. First, it examines the relationship between memory and orality in the oral testimonies documented in the James Stuart Archive, with particular attention to the identity and power dynamics between Zulu communities and others affected by these historical processes. Second, it investigates how these testimonies facilitate a reinterpretation of the past, particularly within the interactive dimensions of colonial encounters. Third, the project problematizes recurring categorizations in the oral accounts of Zulu power formation, exploring the self-identifications and cross-community relations that shaped these narratives. It also considers stories of migration, new power configurations, and (in)voluntary subjugation, shedding light on the dynamics of displacement and identity transformation.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5988-3739