Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to study beliefs in wizardry and also the part played in African society in Rhodesia by the allegation of wizardry during the years 1956 to 1962. In some ways the use of judicial records enables a broader picture to be obtained of Rhodesian society as a whole than is possible with conventional anthropological or sociological methods, which must generally, for financial or other reasons, be of limited scope. The growth of nationalism is a world-wide phenomenon and in Rhodesia was a consequence of the attainment of independence by Ghana and, subsequently, by other African states. In the country areas the support for nationalist politicians comes largely from those areas which are disaffected for one reason or another. Apart from relationships of affinity, marriage creates, with time, relationships by cognation between the lineages concerned.