Boom2Dust blog: Fieldwork - Kimberley 2025
PhD candidate at the ASCL Walker Swindell has written a new blog post for the Boom2Dust project, a comparative study among three industrial mining centres in southern Africa between 1870 and 2020.
Following the project methodological approach, which treats the landscape itself as a historical source, Swindell takes readers on an immersive journey to Kimberley, the site of South Africa’s diamond rush in the early 1870s. Swindell relates how, together with Jan-Bart Gewald, he engaged with scholars, curators, archivists, and history enthusiasts to deepen their understanding of the region’s mining legacy and its broader implications for the study.
The article also highlights how walking the diamond floors at Rooifontein provided Swindell with invaluable firsthand insights, not only enriching his own understanding but also contributing to the broader project’s aim of assessing the long-term environmental impact of industrial mining. In addition, he underscores the crucial role of building strong relationships with archivists, whose expertise and collaboration granted him access to rare historical photographs and documents—materials that had remained untouched by previous researchers, offering fresh perspectives on the region’s mining history.
Posted on 28 February 2025, last modified on 28 February 2025