Name: Henry Fagan
Year in program: 4
ABD Y/N: Y
Primary supervisor: Dr. Peter Alegi
Major field: African History, South Africa
Minor fields: Anthrohistory, Digital History, General African History
Link to your personal page or profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-fagan-a1b382ab
The focus of my research is the KwaZulu-Natal region (KZN) of South Africa and its surrounds, c. 1840-1870. I am examining the Zulu kingdom during the reign of king Mpande kaSenzangakhona and aim to analyze the complex interplay of social and political factors – both within the Zulu kingdom and exerted externally by Dutch and British settlers – that shaped it.
I hold an MA degree in history which I obtained at the University of Cape Town (UCT). My dissertation unpacked the historiographical forces that shaped the dominant strands of KZN’s history. I also have experience working in digital archiving via my association with the Five-Hundred Year Archive, a project based at UCT. I plan to incorporate what I have learned from these experiences into my forthcoming work.