The View Across the River

Book excerpt: This is a paperbound edition of a 2001 book combining biography and larger historical narrative. Guy (history, U. of Natal, South Africa) studies the life of the daughter of the Bishop of Natal, Hariette Colenso, as a window into the continuing process of imperialism and colonialism after the destruction of the Zulu Kingdom's political hierarchy. After the military defeat of the Zulus, the invaders turned their attention to diverting Zululand's productive capacity and material wealth to the benefit of the colonizers; but a number of women and men, including Colenso, resisted this exploitation. Guy argues that an examination of her interaction with the Zulus should be viewed as a contribution to understanding the complicated role of women in the world of late-19th-century imperialism. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR