The Development of Early Settler Identity in Southern Rhodesia

In Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, a small minority of white colonists came to assume political power in the country barely 30 years after its initial occupation in 1890. This development was fuelled by the formation of a settler identity that not only ensured the superior political and socioeconomic position of white Rhodesians with respect to indigenous Africans, but also carved out distinctions between themselves and other Europeans. Though the Rhodesian settler community was comprised of different social and economic backgrounds, this 'island of white' quickly developed strong local interests and ultimately obtained responsible government from Britain in 1923. Settlers' enduring sense of themselves as a distinct people with a separate identity had a profound impact on their political ambitions and helped account for their resistance to black majority rule during the decolonization era.