Chiefly authority, leapfrogging headmen and the political economy of Zululand, South Africa, ca. 1930-1950

In early twentieth century South Africa, where white and capitalist dominat ion of Africans was the central feature of the country's political economy, various elements of African society tried to use 'tradition' in a defensiv e manner to resist the pernicious effects of social and economic dislocatio n. During the 1930s and 1940s, the Zulu king and chiefs held popular suppor t, despite their incorporation into the white state that threatened to unde rmine their legitimacy. This was, in part, because of their power over land allocation, and in part because they represented a symbolic and idealised past in which the Zulu kingdom fought to defend itself against colonial con quest and intervention. Shula Marks,first highlighted the importance of the Natal-Zululand case for understanding chiefly authority, as well as the ch iefs' opposition to, and co-option by, the state. This paper draws on her w ork to expand the discussion of Zulu chiefs and headmen, especially in the economic sphere, and argues that insufficient attention has been devoted to differences between northern and southern Zululand, and to the strategies of non-royal headmen in shaping the pattern of local authority.