Clement Masakure

Clement Masakure is a historian of health histories, whose research interests are on the histories of hospitals and their workers, histories of diseases, health and healing, and humanitarian work in southern Africa. He is an Associate Professor of History and currently serves as the Academic Head of the Department of History at the University of the Free State.

Masakure holds a BA. General (majoring in Economic History and History), a BA Special Honours in Economic History and an MA in African Economic History from the University of Zimbabwe. He earned his PhD in History with a major in African History, a minor in Development Studies, and a subfield in African American History from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

While at Oxford, Masakure’s research project ‘Humanitarian Workers and Humanitarian Medicine during Zimbabwe’s Liberation War, 1972-1980’ will analyse humanitarian workers during Zimbabwe’s liberation war, a group whose work remains undocumented in the historiography. Highlighting their role in alleviating suffering during one of Zimbabwe’s torturous moments expands the historiography of the liberation struggle and the historiography of ‘humanitarian care’ and ‘humanitarian medicine’ and broadens discussion on the political dynamics of international humanitarianism during Southern Africa’s decolonisation.