Lauren Coetzee
Doctoral researcher at the C²DH
Lauren works on the project ‘ESSAYS ON GUNS AND VIOLENCE: THE SPREAD OF GUNPOWDER’S IMPACT ACROSS PRE-COLONIAL AFRICA, 1600-1900‘ under the supervision of Sean Takats
Where have the echoes of the gunpowder trade resonated across time and space?
My research is interested in the impact of this trade through Africa, looking at the routes it was traded on, who the key actors were, and analysing its impact on violence and trust levels.
Using innovative technologies and digital history techniques, several theories can be tested and explored. Benefitting from the rich data of the Time Traveller dataset, a unique source which houses over 500 years of African history written by early explorers, we delve further into the vivid and unfiltered perspectives of these travellers.
I focus on how first-hand accounts of these interactions evolve across space and time. Importantly, this allows for overlooked historical narratives to be incorporated and represented in conjunction with computational modelling, historical linguistic techniques, GIS and network analysis. This offers not only a more nuanced understanding of historical dynamics, but links this research to themes of imperialism, diplomacy, conflict, settlement and development. This zooms in on a crucial period when Africa experienced profound changes. It was a time of exploration, interaction, and the transatlantic slave trade. In the midst of it all, this reconceptualises the trade of guns and gunpowder to question the impact of these tools on shaping societies.
Beyond a scholarly pursuit, this research aspires to revive overlooked historical narratives, shedding light on the intricate interplay between technology, violence, and trust in Africa’s past. More than just studying a trade, this studies how historical interactions, such as trade between Europeans and Africans during the age of exploration, continue to impact societies today. This challenges traditional assumptions and offers new perspectives on Africa’s development. This is significant in that it offers a glimpse into a bygone era where violence, power and trust were experienced in an entirely different manner to contemporary Africa, and the broader global experience.
By recognising the complexity and diversity of this African history, I seek to move beyond simplistic narratives that perpetuate harmful stereotypes and develop a more nuanced and multifaceted understanding of this trade and period in history.