Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Humanities
Committee Chair
Dr. Olivia Clare Friedman
Committee Chair School
Humanities
Committee Member 2
Dr. Joshua Bernstein
Committee Member 2 School
Humanities
Committee Member 3
Dr. Luis Iglesias
Committee Member 3 School
Humanities
Committee Member 4
Dr. Ery Shin
Committee Member 4 School
Humanities
Abstract
Chronicles From A Village Historian is a short story collection that reimagines Zimbabwean folktales. It contains stories that, to my knowledge had only survived through oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation. This collection was born from the realization that these tales are slowly getting lost, as evidenced by my family’s struggle to remember them. I worked with my mother, who sent me recordings of the stories. From each tale, I identified the central source of tension. For example, in “Principles of Etiquette,” a girl lives with her grandmother, a cannibal witch who eats any man interested in her. From there, I reconstructed the plots, rewriting them from scratch. Thus, the stories in this collection are not direct transcriptions of the original tales but reinventions shaped by my creative interpretations.
This page is required for all dissertations, theses, and doctoral projects.
Copyright
Tawanda Nyahasha
Recommended Citation
Nyahasha, Tawanda T., "Chronicles From A Village Historian" (2025). Dissertations. 2323.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/2323