Why is Southern African history difficult to tell as a single narrative?

The history of Southern Africa is difficult to tell as a single narrative due to several complex, intersecting factors that prevent a unified account.1

• Historiographical Shifts: Changing perspectives and the development of new subfields—such as the study of gender, sexuality, health, and the environment—have replaced older, broad generalizations with a complex "polyphony of voices".1
• Fragmented Evidence: Archaeological and historical research across the region is highly uneven; for instance, South Africa has been studied far more intensely than Namibia. Furthermore, the preliterate past relies on evidence like bones or potsherds, where new findings can frequently undermine or subvert previous interpretations and terminology.1
• Political and Social Divisions: Because the region has been characterized by divided societies, its history is often contested. There is hardly any historical episode that is not subject to debate, as different groups have historically struggled to control the narrative of the past to legitimize their present and future claims.1
• Shifting Boundaries: Constant changes in geographic and political boundaries, combined with the fact that present-day concerns often color interpretations of the remote past, make it impossible to observe or agree upon a single, neutral set of facts.1