Abstract:
This research note recovers the career and personal
papers of Philip Warhurst, a British historian who taught
at universities in Rhodesia and South Africa from the
1960s until the 1990s. The note simultaneously reviews
the extent of the holdings of the Warhurst Papers at the
Killie Campbell Africana Library in Durban while also
exploring the insights the collection offers on Warhurst’s
views on race relations and his positionality vis-a-vis
the British Empire and the Commonwealth. As the
collection is open but unprocessed, this note aims to
provide a guide that will assist scholars in navigating
the collection. The collection will particularly appeal to
scholars interested in Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration
of Independence era (1965-1979). Warhurst was
at the frontline of numerous political developments
in the colony during this time. Materials document
conditions at the University of Rhodesia following
political disturbances in 1966 and 1973 and Warhurst’s
desire to maintain academic freedom at the university.
Warhurst was also a senior official in the Centre Party,
a comparatively moderate political group that sought to increase black political participation in Rhodesia,
but which expressed opposition to black majority rule.
The collection also holds extensive materials of a less
overt political nature, primarily documenting Warhurst’s
ecumenical activities and support for Scouting in both
South Africa and Rhodesia. Finally, the papers hold
extensive scholarly notes by Warhurst concerning his
review of archival and published material as well as
several unpublished lectures and papers.
